CHAMPIONSHIP new boys Barnsley are lining up a bid to steal Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra from beneath the noses of Cardiff City.
Chopra is seen by the Bluebirds as the man to fill the boots of Cameron Jerome, who recently departed for relegated Birmingham City in a £3.5m deal.
Talks between Cardiff and the Magpies are believed to have already taken place and the Welsh club are understood to have made an offer for the former England Under-21 international.
But the Tykes are hoping to steal a march on their Championship counterparts and believe Chopra would favour a move to south Yorkshire rather than south Wales after he enjoyed a successful loan spell at the club two season's ago.
The 22-year-old frontman bagged 17 goals in 38 appearances in a League One campaign at Oakwell in 2004-05, before returning to St James' Park at the beginning of last term determined to break in to Graeme Souness' side.
Chopra made an instant impact on his return and found himself in United's starting line-up to face Dubnica in the Intertoto Cup where he netted once in the 3-1 victory.
But soon after he found himself in familiar territory, on the substitute's bench, following the club's decision to splash £16m on bringing Michael Owen to St James' Park from Real Madrid.
The United striker did finally establish himself in Glenn Roeder's side towards the end of the season after injury robbed United of both Owen and Alan Shearer's services.
He eventually made seven first team starts (and 14 as a substitute) in a turbulent term and scored three goals, as the Magpies made a late surge to seventh in the Premier League.
The highlight of his campaign undoubtedly came in the North-East derby at Sunderland, when he netted after only 13 seconds of coming on as a substitute, a game United went on to win 4-1. His only other goal came at Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup.
Chopra has been offered a one-year deal by United and may be offered a longer term if there is a danger the Newcastle forward agrees to leave St James' Park, as the club have a shortage of striking options now Shearer has retired.
But the 22-year-old front man has made it clear that he may have to leave his home town club as he can't secure the regular first-team football he craves.
"I just need to be playing every week and that's going to be hard at Newcastle," said Chopra.
"I know the club is going to bring strikers in. The main thing for me is to be playing first-team football."
Barnsley can virtually guarantee the Magpies striker this and the club's supporters have made it known to the Tykes' hierarchy it is Chopra who they want to lead their Championship assault next term.
"The fans have sent out a clear message, and Michael Chopra knows he is very well-liked at Barnsley," said Patrick Cryne, one of the club's chief financial backers
"If someone is box office, you are more likely to find the funds than if it is for someone who won't excite the fans. Michael Chopra is absolutely the kind of player I would like to see. He is very popular here.
"(Manager) Andy Ritchie is aware of that, and Michael's name has been mentioned. Michael is the type of player that we are really interested in."
Cryne added: "It really comes down to the ambition of Michael Chopra. We are not in the phase yet where we can formally approach players, but he is a player we will track."
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