Newcastle are rumoured to be lining up a summer swoop for West Brom's Saido Berahino as we continue the search for striking reinforcements ahead of next season. It was confirmed earlier this week that we wouldn't be retaining Loic Remy or Luuk De Jong once their loan deals at St James' Park expire, while we know that Shola Ameobi will be released, and reports in the Daily Mail indicate that Berahino, an England under-21 international, is a target for Alan Pardew. The 20-year-old faces an uncertain future at the Hawthorns following a dressing room scuffle with team-mate James Morrison following a 3-3 draw against Cardiff towards the end of the season and that could work to our advantage. Preliminary contact has been made over a possible switch to Tyneside for Berhanio, although it's likely we'll be forced to wait until the Baggies resolve their current managerial situation before making an official approach after they dismissed Pepe Mel on Monday. Strengthening our forward line is a huge priority after failing to persuade Remy to stay and it would be quite a coup if we could sign Berahino after he proved himself one of the brightest talents in the top-flight during a breakout campaign in which he topped Albion's scoring charts with nine goals in all competitions.
