Newcastle Transfer News: Loic Remy & Darren Bent - Pardew Admits He Wants Both

Team Talk. Pardew wants to boost a strike force which was over-reliant last season on Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba, who left for Chelsea in January but still finished the season as the Magpies' joint-highest goalscorer. Bent is out of favour at Aston Villa while Remy is available following Queens Park Ranger's relegation to the Championship. Pardew memorably attempted to sign Remy in the January transfer window, only to be snubbed by the Frenchman, who opted instead to join Harry Redknapp's side. Pardew told the Northern Echo:

"Both of those players (Bent and Remy) are on our list. I make no bones about that. "But they are under contract at other clubs. It's difficult, you have to be careful. It's nice for our fans to hear names, but I don't want to disrupt other clubs' preparations. "We have a list of four or five strikers who will push Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi, Adam Campbell and Yoan Gouffran because that will be important next season. "We do need two strikers. Last year, I didn't think there was enough competition in that area for a Premier League team."

Villa originally demanded £8 million for Bent, but could now settle for £5 million, while newly promoted Premier League side Hull as well as Fulham are interested. Remy, who joined the Hoops from Marseille in January and scored 6 goals in 14 appearances last season, ensured a "relegation release clause" was built into his contract at Loftus Road which will allow him to leave for just £6 million. He has also been tracked by Arsenal.