Magpies to make move for forward from fierce local rivals.
SEE ALSO: Best young football players in the world!
Newcastle United could be set to sign their second player from fierce local rivals Sunderland this summer, with the Daily Mail reporting that Alan Pardew could be about to make a shock move for young striker Connor Wickham.
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet issues the centre forward with an ultimatum last week – that Wickham had to sign a new deal or face being sold – but the report suggests that the former Ipswich Town man, in fact, has not yet been offered new terms at the Stadium of Light.
This could open the door for Newcastle, or Premier League rivals West Ham United, with Wickham potentially available for a fee of as little as £6 million – less than the £8m that the Black Cats initially paid to secure Wickham from Ipswich.
Pardew has already raided the Stadium of Light once this summer, signing midfielder Jack Colback on a free transfer, and a move for Wickham would rub even more Newcastle salt into the Sunderland wounds.
The young Englishman was vital to Sunderland’s dramatic escape from relegation last season, returning from a loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday to score the goals that got Poyet and his side over the line when they had looked doomed to return to the second tier.