Magpies win Viduka chase

PA Sport understands the 31-year-old has given Boro boss Gareth Southgate the answer he was dreading and decided not to extend his stay at the Riverside Stadium.

The Magpies have been courting the Australia international for a year and now appear to have made a decisive breakthrough amid interest from West Ham and Portsmouth and Birmingham among other suitors.

Further talks are expected to take place later this week as Viduka enjoys a break before heading off on Asian Cup duty with his country.

Should Newcastle push home their interest in the former Celtic and Leeds frontman, they would bring an end to his hugely successful three-year spell on Teesside.

The Melbourne-born player arrived at the Riverside in a £4.5million from Elland Road in July 2004 as then manager Steve McClaren assembled a new-look strike-force in tandem with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Ayegbeni Yakubu joined them in a £7.5million switch from Portsmouth a year later, but following the Dutchman's departure last summer it is Viduka who has risen to the fore.

His 19 goals last season - seven of them in his last five starts - were key to Boro's successful fight against relegation from the Barclays Premiership and took his tally for the club to 42 in 100 appearances, 20 of them as a substitute.

That sort of return, allied with his ability to hold the ball up and bring team-mates into play, ensured he was in demand as his contract ran down, and with Newcastle having twice failed to prise him away from Boro, their return was almost inevitable.

Alan Shearer's retirement and Shola Ameobi's hip injury left the Magpies without that type of striker last season, and while speculation continues over Michael Owen's future a St James' Park, the prospect of having Viduka, Owen, Ameobi and Obafemi Martins in his squad is one which will excite new boss Sam Allardyce.