SOUTH American Faustino Asprilla could become a Newcastle player before the weekend his Italian club Palma revealed last night.
The Colombian striker met Magpies boss Kevin Keegan late yesterday afternoon to discuss his proposed club record £6.7 million move to England. And although nothing has yet been agreed between the clubs and the player, the signs are that Asprilla will join the St James' Park side within the next few days.
The talks between the Newcastle party comprising Keegan, his assistant Terry McDermott, director Douglas Hall, who is the son of chairman Sir John and vice chairman Freddie Shepherd was held at a secret location between Parma and Rome.
Keegan and his colleagues left their hotel in the Italian capital in mid afternoon where they met with Parma's general director Gianbatista Pastorello.
Pastorello, who is responsible for all transfer activity carried out by the Serie A club, last night said that the negotiations had gone extremely well.
"Between the two clubs we have more or less agreed the fee that should be paid for Asprilla said Pastorello. "The player himself wants to go to Newcastle but at this stage nothing has been signed."
He added "We are hopeful that we can get a contract agreed within the next 48 to 72 hours. We will be seeing Newcastle again tomorrow because so far we have just had a general chat, but everything seems to be in agreement at this stage."
Asprilla has become surplus to requirements at the UEFA Cup holders this term and coach Nevio Scala has admitted he will be prepared to see him go. The pacy South American has been condemned to a watching brief this term with Seala choosing to pair. Alessandro Melli and Gianfranco Zola up front.
And salt has been rubbed in the wounds of Asprilla who has made just six appearances in what is his fourth season in the Italian game with the fact that the arrival from Barcelona of Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov has meant he has only infrequently even been selected as a substitute.
Newcastle should be able to meet Asprilla's salary demands. Although the striker is a huge star on his native continent, he was signed for a relatively small amount from Nacional Medellin and is believed to be on wages of around £20,000 per week modest by the extravagant norms of the Italian game.
If the deal does go through, it will take Keegan's spending since the summer to nearly £23 million. That summer spending spree brought Warren Barton, Les Ferdinand, David Ginola and keeper Shaka Hislop to Tyneside, and the Newcastle manager has since bolstered his squad with the capture of exciting Lincoln teenager Darren Huckerby.
