Newcastle hope to sign Scott Parker within the next 24 hours after making a significant breakthrough in their pursuit of the
Chelsea midfielder.
Parker's agent was on Tyneside on Tuesday to discuss a transfer which has become protracted in recent weeks after the Magpies agreed a £6.5million fee with the London club for the midfielder.
Chairman Freddy Shepherd is confident he has at last got his man and that personal terms and a medical will prove a formality.
Newcastle have been made to wait since tabling their offer. They had believed they were firmly in the driving seat when they first expressed their interest some time ago.
Competition came from
Champions League qualifiers
Everton, but the Magpies were always confident they held the upper hand when it came to responding to Parker's wage demands. However, the emergence of
Tottenham as serious contenders set the alarm bells ringing.
The ongoing row between the Blues and
Spurs over the alleged poaching of sporting director Frank Arnesen served to muddy the waters with suggestions that the 24-year-old could be used as part of a compensation package.
However, the two clubs were so far apart in their estimates of a suitable sum that the deal has become increasingly unlikely, allowing the Magpies to make their move.
Manager Graeme Souness wants to build his midfield around a player who cost the Premiership champions £10million when he left Charlton last January.
Newcastle have never really plugged the gap left by Gary Speed when he was allowed to quit St James' for
Bolton last summer despite the subsequent recruitment of Nicky Butt and Amdy Faye, and there are question marks over several members of the current squad.
Lee Bowyer is a target for Birmingham, while
Bolton and
Portsmouth have been given permission to talk to Laurent Robert and Darren Ambrose is also being courted by several clubs.
In addition, Jermaine Jenas has been repeatedly linked with both
Arsenal and
Tottenham and, although Souness has insisted that he is going nowhere, successful big-money bids for Parker and Inter Milan's Belozoglu Emre could prompt potential buyers to test the water.
Newcastle face competition from
Everton and a series of other clubs if they are to sign Turkish international Emre, although his wage demands - thought to be in excess of £60,000 a week - could yet prove a problem.
