Juventus are planning to test Sam Allardyce's resolve to keep Obafemi Martins at St James's Park after picking out the controversial Nigerian as the ideal man to spearhead their return to Serie A.
The Bianconeri's promotion to the Italian top flight was confirmed at the weekend and, although the Serie B season will not end until next month, manager Didier Deschamps has already drawn up a detailed list of summer targets.
Martins is among the players the Juve boss has earmarked for prospective transfers to Turin, along with the Liverpool midfielders Xabi Alonso and Mohamed Sissoko and Ajax's Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
And although Allardyce suggested he would be reluctant to lose the troubled 22-year-old on his appointment as Glenn Roeder's successor last week, the situation could change should Deschamps firm up his interest with the bid that Italian sources insist is imminent.
The Newcastle boss will have monitored events at Watford nine days ago with interest and, while he has claimed the club's players will all start with a clean slate under his rule, a manager renowned as a strict disciplinarian cannot have been impressed with the attacker's actions.
In declaring himself unfit for United's final Premiership fixture with a knee problem the Magpies' medical staff could not detect, Martins cast his future in the North-East into doubt.
Having long admired a player whose reputation remains intact in Italian football, Juventus are preparing to offer both parties an exit strategy, while Valencia are also understood to be keeping tabs on an uncertain situation. Should a figure approaching the £10m Roeder paid Inter Milan for the African last summer be offered, it would be no surprise were a deal to be struck and Martins were to join Jean-Alain Boumsong on the Italian club's books.
Although he scored 17 times in his maiden season in United colours, Martins remains an enigmatic character whose attitude has been called into question on numerous occasions. And although the striker completed the campaign as the club's leading marksman, Allardyce will be more concerned about keeping Michael Owen at St James's Park. Positive talks between the pair have been held in recent days.
Cashing in on Martins would aid the 52-year-old's summer rebuilding programme. Allardyce is determined to strengthen a deficient defence and a manager keen to lure Tal Ben Haim from Bolton is also understood to be plotting a move for Wigan's Leighton Baines.
The England Under-21 international is among the Premiership's most admired full-backs and, with Stephen Carr and Celestine Babayaro expected to join Olivier Bernard, Craig Moore, Titus Bramble and Oguchi Onyewu in leaving Tyneside, Baines has been earmarked to fill the club's problematic left-back berth.
Allardyce's immediate concern will be assembling his backroom team. Phil Brown last night signed a contract extension at Hull that will rule him out, but the Newcastle boss has made a breakthrough. Bolton are understood to have granted Mark Taylor, head of sports science at the Reebok Stadium, permission to speak to United, although Trotters officials remain determined to keep performance director Mike Forde in the North-West.
Meanwhile, Pavel Srnicek has expressed his disappointment at being released following Allardyce's appointment last week. The Czech said: "It was a big disappointment as I had agreed with the club that I would stay for a year and then end my career. Unfortunately, not everything in our lives turns out as we wish it to."
Shay Given will this week mark 10 years' service at St James's Park. The Irishman joined Newcastle from Blackburn in 1997 and, although he has no trophies to show for his decade in the North-East, Given's optimism remains intact.
"I'm still very hungry to win something with Newcastle," he said. "I came here 10 years ago to win trophies and I want to do that for myself and for the fans. I've got a good few years left and hopefully we can win some silverware in that time."
Mido's future at Tottenham looks increasingly uncertain after the Egypt striker admitted he is unsettled at White Hart Lane. The 24-year-old only made seven Barclays Premiership starts this season and was on the verge of signing for Manchester City at the end of the January transfer window only to agree to stay with Spurs and assess his options this summer. His first season since making his loan from Roma a permanent deal has been hampered by injuries which have limited his availability and resulted in just five goals.
He said: "I would be lying if I said that I am happy at Spurs. Any player who doesn't play will not feel happy."
Mido was linked with a move back to Celta Vigo as well as City last season before boss Martin Jol persuaded him to stay.
Jol's three other strikers - Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe - also scored more than 60 goals between them during the campaign, which has limited opportunities for a fourth attacker. Mido believes he made a mistake to sign on a permanent basis a year ago.
In an interview with Al-Mehwar, an Egyptian television channel, he added: "The hard times started with me making the wrong decision. I made a big mistake when I signed permanently for Spurs. I know that this could result in problems but it is the truth."
Meanwhile, Sven-Göran Eriksson has ruled himself out of the running for the manager's job at Manchester City, although he has hinted at a return to management in England. The former England boss said: I'm interested to have a good football team next season. There are other teams."
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