SCOTT PARKER will arrive at Newcastle United on Monday for a medical after agreeing personal terms over a £6.5m switch to Tyneside, writes PAUL FRASER.
The Chelsea midfielder has been courted by manager Graeme Souness for a number of weeks and looks to have chosen Newcastle ahead of two other suitable employers.
Both Everton and Tottenham have been in the hunt for Parker's signature but a mixture of finance and ambition looks to have sealed the move to St James' Park.
Despite Everton's inclusion in next season's Champions League they are believed to have been unable to match his wage demands - the player reportedly earning £55,000 a week at Chelsea.
Tottenham would have gone closer than the Toffees to that figure but their row with the Blues over the switch across London of sporting director Frank Arnesen has complicated matters.
Now Newcastle are the first to have reached agreement with Parker and he is ready to undergo a medical after the weekend and put pen to paper on a lucrative deal - despite the player being a boyhood Spurs fan.
Tottenham are not thought to have given up hope but it looks too late for the White Hart Lane board to change the 25-year-old's mind.
Parker's arrival looks to be Souness' first addition of the summer and he is also working on a deal to bring Turkish midfielder Emre to the club.
But Blackburn last night instead that Aussie Brett Emerton has not been targeted by Newcastle.
Rovers chief executive John Williams said: "We've had no contact whatsoever from anyone at Newcastle United regarding Brett Emerton."
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