SAMUEL KUFFOUR expects to hear within the next 48 hours whether Newcastle United's offer for his services is tempting enough to move to the North-East, writesPaul Fraser.

The Ghanaian's agent, Fabio Parisi, was on Tyneside on Tuesday to holds preliminary negotiations with Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd over a January switch.

Kuffour is out of contract in the summer and will be free to leave German giants Bayern Munich for nothing.

That is why Bayern are believed to be willing to listen to offers of around £500,000 now and Newcastle have put the wheels in the motion for a transfer-window swoop.

Manchester City's Sylvain Distin remains manager Graeme Souness' primary target but City are standing firm in their attempts to keep the Frenchman in Lancashire.

And that is why Souness has earmarked Kuffour as his third signing in as many weeks after the arrivals of Celestine Babayaro and Jean-Alain Boumsong.

"Still nothing has been decided by Newcastle, but we expect to hear a decision from them within the next couple of days," Parisi said yesterday. "If that happens, then we can discuss things like personal terms perhaps early next week.

"There is still nothing official from them and I was in Newcastle only to hear what they have to say. There were no official talks and certainly nothing has been signed or agreed."

But Parisi, whose player is also being tracked by Inter Milan and AC Milan, claims the Premiership is not the only option for Kuffour.

"He is out of contract at the end of the season and he wants to try a new experience," he said. "He is interested in the Premiership, but there are other clubs in the Premiership, and in Spain and Italy, who are interested in him."

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