Sammy Ameobi's contract situation has initiated a tug of war for the winger's signature in the West Midlands - with West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers battling it out for the Newcastle United youth product. West Brom have been linked to the winger, who is the brother of former Newcastle and now-Crystal Palace striker Shola Ameobi, for an extended period and look likely to firm up their interest this summer. But they will face competition from their Black Country rivals Wolves, who also want to take advantage of the 23-year-old's contract expiring at the end of the season. The Magpies are yet to decide whether or not to offer Ameobi a new deal and risk losing the former England Under-21 international for a nominal fee, because any club who signs him would be forced to pay some compensation due to the fact the winger is under the age of 24. Wolves want Ameobi as a potential replacement should they lose their 15-goal striker Bakary Sako - who would be an interesting addition to the Magpies squad, it must be said - while the Baggies would like to add greater versatility to their forward line. Ameobi has been, much like his brother, a source of serious frustration on Tyneside since he broke into the first-team squad. At 6ft 4ins, he is tall and gangly yet he struggles in the air and, although he can come up with the odd neat trick, his final product is far-too-often found wanting. He has played 53 times in the Premier League for the Magpies, including 21 when coming off the bench, and has scored twice. Ameobi also netted once in nine appearances while on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship last season. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCultureNUFC on Twitter and Facebook.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
