Newcastle to trump QPR in the race to sign West Brom striker

Newcastle have joined QPR in pursuit of West Brom’s Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie, who is thought to be keen on a move away from the Hawthorns.

The Magpies remain at long-odds 11/2 shots for relegation this season despite suffering seven defeats in their last 10 Premier League matches and recently lost Senegalese goal-getter Demba Ba for a fraction of the fee he should have commanded.

Reinforcements are thought to be on the way with Marseille confirming that Newcastle have agreed a deal to sign their misfiring French international Loic Remy, but there has to be some doubts whether he will be able to fill Ba’s sizeable boots after struggling for form in Ligue 1 of late.

Odemwingie, on the other hand, has already proved himself at Premier League level, having notched 29 goals in 66 league starts for the Baggies and his pace in the final third could prove a valuable asset in Newcastle’s bid to beat the drop.

At 31, he should be available for less than £5m and is equally capable of playing out wide in a three-pronged attack, meaning Alan Pardew could revert to the same system that brought the best out of Papiss Cisse in the second half of the previous campaign.

West Brom chief Steve Clarke has stated that Graeme Dorrans is the only member of his first team squad available to move on in the current transfer window, though with Romelu Lukaku pulling up trees and Shane Long waiting in the wings, a good enough offer would surely change this standpoint.

Odemwingie is no doubt one of the club’s top earners and, with the form of others rendering his once guaranteed first team starting berth a thing of the past, it’s hard to imagine West Brom being desperate to keep him.

The R’s reportedly had a £2m offer for the man capped 55 times by Nigeria knocked back last week, but with Harry Redknapp’s men more likely to fall through the Premier League trap door than Newcastle – who are also the more likely to offer a more appealing financial package – Odemwingie would surely prefer the switch to Tyneside should the Toon stump up the cash.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date