Toon set to pursue Spurs striker

As he prepares to unveil French winger Gabriel Obertan as the newest (and most likely the fastest) member of his Newcastle United squad, Magpies boss Alan Pardew is also working to sign a reliable scorer up front.

Pardew, who has publicly backed unsettled midfielder Joey Barton to stay on at the club, is now reportedly close to acquiring the services of Tottenham's unsettled striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko.