Barton Can Forget Exit To Birmingham!

But he has since signed Lee Bowyer on a free transfer from West Ham and says Barton is no longer a target.

McLeish: "I'm very pleased that Lee has signed, because he's a proven player. You don't often get a player of Lee's calibre for nothing these days.

"There's no transfer fee but there's a going rate in terms of wages - and he deserves that. We believe he's certainly still got the ability to justify his status as a Premier League player."