Newcastle Enter Chase for Prolific Ivorian Striker – Report

Newcastle United are hoping to convince Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony to move to St. James Park as they attempt to find finally find a replacement for Demba Ba.

The Senegal international left for Chelsea last January and despite the arrival of Yohan Gouffran, new director of football Joe Kinnear confirmed that the club's priority this summer is to sign a striker.

Kinnear will have the overall say when it comes to transfers and has already vetoed a deal for FC Twente defender Douglas who he did not feel was good enough to play for Newcastle.

However, the Guardian believe that Newcastle are showing a serious interest in Ivory Coast international Bony who has scored an impressive 46 goals in just 63 games for the Dutch side.

The 24 year old was the top scorer in Holland last season and it is expected that he will leave the club this summer, with reports suggesting that there is interest from numerous Premier League sides.

As well as Newcastle, Swansea are also believed to be interested in Bony and are prepared to make an offer of around £10m as manager Michael Laudrup attempts to improve his squad after a hugely successful first season in charge.

Reports in Holland suggest that Swansea's interest is "very serious" but it seems big spending Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are also keen to recruit the striker.

With Swansea being able to offer European football next season, Newcastle may well face a difficult task in convincing Bony to move to St. James Park after a disastrous season that saw them narrowly avoid relegation.

Should they fail to land Bony then reports suggest that they see St. Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as an alternative, while Aston Villa's out of favour forward Darren Bent could be another option.

Newcastle have managed to convince a number of high profile players to leave Ligue 1 in recent transfer windows and they will be hoping that their success in the market continues with Kinnear now at the helm.