Michael Owen to join Newcastle United

Michael Owen has agreed to join Newcastle United from Real Madrid.

Michael will have a medical on Tuesday and then intends to sign a four-year deal with the club. It is believed that Newcastle have agreed to pay £17m to Real Madrid to have him play for them. This is £2m more than Newcastle's previous record signing which was Alan Shearer whom they bought from Blackburn Rovers for £15m. Freddy Shepherd (Newcastle's chairman) has said: "Bringing Michael here will rank alongside the signing of Alan Shearer as my proudest moment at Newcastle.".

The deal has still not been finalised and it is believed that Liverpool FC are desperate to have Michael return to them. They may still make a bigger offer. Owen has a proven goal scoring record which is precisely what Newcastle need at the moment; they have yet to score a goal so far this season. Michael was named European Footballer of the Year in 2001. When playing for Liverpool, he scored 158 goals in 297 games.