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The Real Madrid striker made it clear on Wednesday that a loan move to The Magpies was his third-choice option behind being a Real regular and returning to former club Liverpool.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez continues to publicly insist that he does not need another striker, even though chairman David Moores and chief executive Rick Parry are thought to be desperate to bring their former goalscoring hero back to Anfield.
Newcastle have been desperate to sign a new striker all season and their desperation has shown itself in the form of a club record bid of at least £16 million being accepted by the Spanish giants for Owen.
The move could force Owen’s hand as Liverpool will not match that offer and a loan move is now seemingly out of the question.
Souness is fully aware that a permanent switch to Newcastle was not on Owen’s wish-list, but he is hoping that his desire to play regularly in World Cup year will persuade him to move to St James’ Park.
“It’s no secret who his first and second choice are,” said Souness.
“All I can tell you is we have made a club record offer that has been accepted by Real Madrid.
“It is now up to the player and his advisors as to whether he says yes or no. But I am a confident sort of person and I am hopeful Michael will join us.
“He knows what we are about. He knows some of the players at our club and I am sure he will be speaking to them to find out what we can offer him.
“But as I understand it the loan is not an option. Not a chance, not when we have made a whacking great offer for him that has been accepted.
“If Real have accepted our offer and they are happy with that then it is now up to us to make the deal attractive for Michael.”
Souness watched his side produce another disappointing display on Wednesday night in a 2-0 reverse at Bolton – and pressure is already mounting on his position.
The former Liverpool and Blackburn boss says he is still hunting Deportivo La Coruna marksman Albert Luque, but Owen would be a huge signing and he believes Newcastle big-money offer will win the day.
“He is contracted to Real Madrid and it is not his decision. No player can make that decision [Whether to go on loan].
“I am guessing because Real have spent a lot of money on Robinho and Julio Baptista, then like any club they would want to recoup some of their money for a player who might not be involved too much this season.
“That’s common sense as far as I see it.”
New Gunners skipper Henry netted twice in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Fulham to take his goals scored for Arsenal up to 184.
The French maestro is now just one goal behind Highbury legend Wright, and could write his name in Arsenal history against Middlesbrough on September 10.
Henry could have equalled Wright’s record against Fulham as he was awarded a penalty when fouled by Zat Knight inside the box, but the former Juventus man never takes a spot kick he has won.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was glowing in his praise for Henry after the game, and the 28-year-old is now hoping to make history.
“For me, Ian Wright was a legend and still is a legend, so to beat his record would be something really amazing,” said Henry.
“But I don’t want to speak too soon because things in football can happen really quickly, so I just want to concentrate and keep scoring goals for my team.”
Henry was delighted to have got back into winning ways after their defeat at Chelsea, but Henry says they were not getting carried away with the Stamford bridge defeat.
“A lot of stuff was said after the Chelsea game. But I thought all that separated the two teams was Didier Drogba’s shin and a bit of an offside.
“It was really important to bounce back. Sometimes it can play on your mind in between these kind of games.”
The Arsenal man joined The Bhoys this summer in search of first-team football but failed to start a single game under Strachan.
Watching Adam Virgo come off the bench ahead of him in last weekend’s 3-1 loss to arch-rivals Rangers was the last straw for Aliadiere.
The French striker has ended his stint with Celtic and has joined Premiership new boys West Ham with a view to playing regular football.
“My mind was made up against Rangers on Saturday,” revealed Aliadiere. “I’m upset I never got the chance to show why I signed.
“I was on the bench again and Adam Virgo was given a chance for the final few minutes.
“That’s when I thought, ‘The manager is just taking the p*** out of me.’
“I’m now looking forward to life at West Ham and the chance to play first-team football.”
The Peruvian winger was given his marching orders just ten minutes into the contest by Graham Poll for striking out at the Pompey midfielder.
Hughes has conceded he pulled back Solano to prevent Villa’s attack and did not expect Solano to see red, despite catching him in the face.
“Solano caught me in the face and I went down,” stated Hughes. “I do not know how hard he got me but there was contact.
“I feel sorry for him as I know he is not like that, but when someone is tugging your shirt like that like I was it’s natural instinct to throw out your arm and try to get them away from you.
“I had no option but to pull him back. I was surprised when the red card came out because of my part in the incident.
“I hope I’m not branded a cheat. I was not trying to get anyone sent off.”
The Gunners were initially kept at bay by the excellence of Fulham keeper Tony Warner, who pushed away an early Lauren penalty, and then fell behind to Claus Jensen’s goal for the visitors.
But Pascal Cygan equalised for Arsene Wenger’s side before Henry’s second half double, which took him within a goal of Ian Wright’s all-time scoring record for the club. Cygan then added a late fourth.
Henry was strangely subdued in the first half, contributing little aside from winning the penalty which Lauren missed when he was tugged down by Zat Knight.
Yet his sheer class makes him a danger even on an off-night and he took both of his goals brilliantly.
Warner was unfortunate to be on the losing side as he made a string of fine saves, somehow tipping over an 18-yard blast from Cesc Fabregas shortly after his penalty save and making further stops to deny Jose Antonio Reyes, Fabregas and Gilberto.
His opposite number Jens Lehmann was also having one of his better games, but there was nothing he could do to prevent Jensen scoring with a sublime chip after Kolo Toure had failed to cut out Tomasz Radzinski’s cross.
Warner was finally beaten when Cygan got to Dennis Bergkamp’s free kick ahead of two team-mates and glanced in a header to equalise. He then conceded a second eight minutes into the second half when Reyes picked out Henry who took one touch before sliding in an angled right-foot shot.
Fulham showed plenty of enterprise and Brian McBride, who shot wide when well placed before the break, forced a wonderful save from Lehmann with a close range header.
Henry put the result beyond doubt when he lifted a deft shot over the advancing Warner after being played in by Mathieu Flamini, and Cygan got just reward for a fine display when he rounded off the scoring, turning in his second from two yards in the dying seconds.
Frank Lampard’s 50th goal for Chelsea broke the deadlock when he finished Didier Drogba’s cross from the left, before on the stroke of half time, Shaun Wright-Phillips’ excellent wing play invited Joe Cole to double their advantage.
The second period proved a carbon copy of the first, as Cole set up Drogba for Chelsea’s third before Lampard capped a fine personal display by coolly adding his second of another impressive night in West London.
Arsenal returned to form at Highbury as they put Fulham to the sword 4-1, with Thierry Henry grabbing a classy double.
On ten minutes Arsenal were awarded a dubious penalty, saved by Tony Warner from Lauren, before Fulham took a surprise lead through Claus Jensen’s excellent effort from range.
Arsenal’s response was impressive as first Pascal Cygan glanced home Dennis Bergkamp’s free kick to draw the sides level at half time.
Henry converted with aplomb when played through in the 53rd minute and then did the same on 82, from Mathieu Flamini’s impressive pass.
In the final minute, Cygan grabbed an unlikely double when he prodded home at the far post from Kolo Toure’s pass.
Newcastle’s woes continued at Bolton as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at The Reebok Stadium.
El-Hadji Diouf gave Bolton a deserved lead in the first half before Stelios Giannakopoulos doubled their advantage in the second period, heaping more misery on Graeme Souness.
Blackburn and Tottenham played out at 0-0 stalemate at Ewood Park – with a poor game punctuated by Lucas Neill’s sending off for a second yellow card after a foul on Edgar Davids.
The striker, who is a free agent after having his contract at Torino annulled following their relegation, has joined the Tuscan outfit on a three-year deal.
Siena had looked to try and re-sign Maccarone, who was on loan with the club last term, but Middlesbrough rejected their bid for the Italian attacker, who was on the substitutes’ bench for the Premiership clash at Birmingham City.
Instead of snapping up Maccarone again, Siena have instead turned to Marazzina, who could figure in Gigi De Canio’s plans for Sunday’s season opener against Cagliari.
The Serie A side have been in negotiations with Celta as the Spaniards want to sign defender Lequi, but the two sides have failed to agree on a fee.
Lazio want more for the Argentinian than has currently been offered, but the player would welcome the move and Lazio will try to agree on a fee.
The Roman side would also like to bring Parma man Siviglia back to Stadio Olimpico after his previous loan spell last season.
Lazio want another loan deal for Siviglia but Gialloblu officials would like a permanent deal to be concluded and talks will continue.
Ancelotti is currently under contract at San Siro until 2007 and hopes to extend his stay at the helm until 2009.
His ambition is to then move into the international arena, although the former Azzurri midfielder is not necessarily targeting the top coaching job in his own country.
“The first aim is to stay at Milan until 2007 as foreseen by the contract,” Ancelotti told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The second aim is to obtain the results that will allow the club to extend it until 2009.
“Then, in 2010, I’d like to be at the World Cup in South Africa. [Marcello] Lippi can be calm.
“I might live this experience with a foreign national team, maybe with the South African one.”
On the club front, Ancelotti endured an agonising past season as Milan finished runners-up to Juventus in Serie A and lost to Liverpool on penalties in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Ancelotti has been pleased with his team’s pre-season preparations and he is confident the Rossoneri can come out on top next spring.
He added: “We have the awareness and the presumption to be the strongest side, although this doesn’t give you the guarantee of success.
“It’s an eve [of the season] characterised by many positive thoughts but then you must win on the pitch too.
“We feel good, we have trained with continuity and engagement. I don’t do percentages but I’m satisfied.”
The Milan boss also placed his faith in the Italian clubs to be the dominant force in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Ancelotti continued: “Milan, Juve and Chelsea start overall [as favourites]. In the market, too, they did better than the others.
“Then Barcelona, the other English sides, too, and Bayern Munich. Real Madrid must be watched.
“But Italian sides have something more. I saw this watching Juve-Inter on Saturday and Chelsea-Arsenal on Sunday.
“For the emotions, rhythm and intensity, the Italian Supercup has been better than the English match.”
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has been a long-term admirer of the Croatia international and has spent the bulk of the summer chasing Tudor.
In early July, Allardyce feared a move for the defender was doomed to failure as he could not meet Tudor’s demands.
But the interest has been resurrected and a loan deal has now been arranged by The Trotters, who face competition from Villarreal for the 27-year-old.
Juventus have confirmed the offers from both clubs and, while Tudor appears to prefer a move to Spain, the Italian champions believe he will head to The Reebok Stadium.
“For Tudor I have an agreement with the English club Bolton Wanderers,” said Juve general manager Luciano Moggi.
“But the player prefers the offer he has from Villarreal.
“Personally, I believe he will eventually join Bolton.”
Tudor, who can also play in midfield, has been waiting to leave Juventus after learning he does not figure in Fabio Capello’s plans for the new season.
He spent six months on loan at Siena last term and, with a contract running until 2007, was initially valued at €5 million (£3.4 million) by Juve.
But with Tudor’s suitors reluctant to shell out that sum, Juve are now prepared to loan him out, with a move to Italian rivals Lazio mooted only last week.
It now appears to be a straight fight between Villarreal and Bolton, with Juve believing Tudor will finally move to The Premiership, having been linked with Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion in the past.
The two clubs had agreed a fee of around €2.8 million (£2 million) for the 25-year-old, but the Portuguese star has vetoed the switch.
He insists it has nothing to do with the financial aspect of the transfer, but more to do with how he was treated by Sociedad during negotiations.
“I only wanted to be well treated by the club,” he declared.
“In this case it was 90 percent not to do with the money.
“If it was just about money, I would already be in San Sebastian (where Sociedad are based).”
The collapse of the deal now leaves Malaga with something of a poser as Duda only has one year left on his contract.
They were happy to sell him to Sociedad to recoup a sizeable fee for his services, but are now likely to try and get him to sign an extension rather than lose him for free in 12 months’ time.
According to reports from both Spain and Bulgaria, the two sides have already begun negotiating a deal whilst the player’s agent, Lazecar Tencev, is dealing with personal terms in order to save time and finalise the deal before the end of the current transfer window.
Manchev would ease the attacking problems for the former Spanish champions who are set to lose star striker Nihat Kahveci due to the inability to match his personal terms.
Manchev arrived at Levante from French side Lille last summer, however he failed to make a big impression in a season that saw the club’s relegation from the Primera Division.
The Bulgarian international is keen on staying in any of Europe’s top divisions and, despite Levante agreeing a deal with Nice, the player could not agree personal terms with the French side.
Manchev looks likely to move to the Estadio Anoeta on a season-long loan deal, with the possibility of a permanent move should the player impress.
The Magpies are determined to bring the former Liverpool forward to St James’ Park even though he has expressed a preference for returning to Anfield.
Owen has indicated he would only join Newcastle on loan but The Magpies have agreed terms with Real, a club they are used to doing business with after selling Jonathan Woodgate to the Spanish giants.
The striker seems certain to move on from the Bernabeu this summer, following crunch talks with Real president Florentino Perez on Tuesday, and he admitted it would likely be a straight fight between Liverpool and Newcastle for his signature.
The England forward suggested his preferred choice was to head to Liverpool, adding he would only consider a loan move to St James’ Park in what is a World Cup year.
However, these comments have not deterred Newcastle who have announced they have agreed a club-record fee with Real for the striker.
“Newcastle United have met Real Madrid’s asking price and conditions,” a statement on the club’s website read.
“The agreed fee will be a record transfer fee for Newcastle United.
“It is now up to the player and his advisor.”
Much will now depend on whether Magpies chief Graeme Souness can persuade the 25-year-old to pledge his future to Newcastle.
Owen’s prowess in front of goal would give Newcastle a huge fillip, as they have yet to replace departed pair Craig Bellamy and Patrick Kluivert and are reliant on Alan Shearer, who is the current club-record signing at £15 million, ploughing a lone furrow in attack.
However, he has indicated that he is not keen on making a permanent switch to the North East and the offer from Tyneside could flush out other interested parties – with Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton all linked with the speedy forward.
Meanwhile, fresh reports emanating from Turkey suggest Nicolas Anelka is considering leaving Fenerbahce.
Newcastle have been tracking the Frenchman all summer and have already had one bid rejected by Fenerbahce.
However, news emanating from Turkey suggests Anelka is considering his future at Fenerbahce.
It is believed that officials from both clubs met in Germany to discuss a possible move and should Newcastle fail to land Owen they could step up their pursuit of Anelka.
The custodian is now tied to Barca until 2010 having put pen-to-paper after weeks of negotiation.
Valdes, 23, has been first-choice at Camp Nou for the last two seasons and was already under contract until 2008.
However, the reigning Primera champions were keen to reward the youngster for his displays over the past couple of seasons and have now agreed improved terms.
“The economic conditions of the contract have matched the player’s demands,” a club spokesperson stated.
The new deal sees Valdes’ buy-out clause set at €100 (£65 million) and is a clear sign the Catalans have no intention of letting their youth product leave the club.
The player inked the contract at a meeting with president Joan Laporta.
The Spaniards led the third qualifying round second-leg clash through a deflected Juan Pablo Sorin strike before Mikel Arteta brought The Toffees back into the game with a superb free kick.
Needing another goal to level the tie Duncan Ferguson had a header harshly disallowed and Diego Forlan added a second in injury time to seal the home side’s progress.
The Toffees were boosted before kick-off with the news that striker Marcus Bent had recovered from an ankle injury which he picked up after scoring the winner at Bolton on Sunday.
Bent partnered Ferguson up front as first-leg goalscorer James Beattie was still struggling with a bruised toe while Wales midfielder Simon Davies was recalled after suffering shin splints while on international duty last week.
The Toffees, needing at least two goals to have a chance of advancing on the night, made a positive start despite the early booking of makeshift left back Kevin Kilbane.
The Republic of Ireland international was shown the yellow card by referee Pierluigi Collina after he scythed down Javi Venta and the Villarreal player would only last until the 15th minute before being replaced by Jan Kromkamp.
Ferguson made his usual nuisance of himself but was twice penalised harshly by Collina while at the other end Forlan always looked dangerous.
After 17 minutes David Moyes’ side had an excellent chance when Tim Cahill stole into the penalty area and got on the end of a Ferguson flick from a long throw but his header was poor.
With the goal at his mercy the Australian could only aim his header down and straight at Mariano Barbosa.
Three minutes later the Spaniards were ahead. Sorin broke forward before releasing a left-foot shot as the Everton defence were slow to close him down.
The shot ricocheted off David Weir’s backside and Nigel Martyn, now lying on the floor, could only get a foot to it as the ball rolled in.
The home side nearly went two up four minutes later after lovely work around the box by Sorin and Luciano Figueroa before Forlan fired straight at Martyn.
The Toffees forced a couple of corners but never looked like pulling a goal back while Forlan continued to pose a threat.
The Uruguayan beat Joseph Yobo comfortably before forcing another corner with a decent left-foot effort while Juan Roman Riquelme twice went close before the interval but Martyn was able to push both efforts round the post.
The Spaniards began the second period in breathtaking form with Forlan and Riquelme at the heart of the majority of attacks.
First the former Manchester United forward, after being played in by his South American team-mate, rifled his shot straight at Martyn from only 10 yards out.
At the other end, though, Everton were presented with a gilt-edged opportunity to draw level when the impressive Davies sent in an inch-perfect cross for Ferguson but the big Scot could only produce a dreadful free header which drifted wide.
Riquelme forced yet another corner with a fierce shot and, from the resultant corner, Martyn produced a brilliant save.
With the ball bobbling around the box Marcos Senna miscued a volley straight to Figueroa who diverted it on goal but Martyn got down to his left, at full stretch, to tip it wide.
Riquelme went close again with another shot from distance before he, Forlan and Rodolfo Arrubarrena combined to almost set up Figueroa but Weir was handily placed to clear.
Riquelme tried his luck for the umpteenth time from 30 yards but his free kick flew just over.
However, the game took on a different picture after 70 minutes. Gonzalo brought down Phil Neville on the edge of the box and Arteta curled in a beautiful free kick to send the away fans wild.
The momentum was now with The Toffees and Cahill saw a deflected cross land on the crossbar before being cleared before Sorin tried an audacious shot which slid wide.
With just 10 minutes remaining the Merseysiders began to pile forward and Tony Hibbert set up a great chance for Ferguson.
This time he met the cross with a much better contact but Barbosa produced a superb save and from the corner the visitors looked to have levelled the tie when Ferguson powered in a magnificent header but Collina gave a foul for an unclear infringement.
Everton threw everything at the Spaniards and as injury time beckoned there was a huge goalmouth scramble but the ball ended in Barbosa’s hands.
Forlan had the last word with a deserved goal with seconds left on the clock – Sorin broke clear down the left and played in a perfect ball for the striker and he beat Martyn from six yards.
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