NEWCASTLE'S midfield merry-go-round continued to gather pace last night after Darren Ambrose completed his move to Charlton and Emre Belozoglu inched nearer to St James' Park, writes Scott Wilson.

Ambrose has signed a four-year deal at The Valley after the Addicks agreed to pay an undisclosed fee, believed to be £1m, for the England Under-21 international.

The 21-year-old, who will now link up with former team-mate Darren Bent, made 59 senior appearances after joining the Magpies from Ipswich in March 2003.

He scored six goals in that time, including two spectacular strikes last season against Bolton and Manchester United, but struggled to hold down a regular place in Graeme Souness' first-team squad.

"I think he's (Ambrose) been stifled a little bit at Newcastle after impressing under Bobby Robson," said Charlton boss Alan Curbishley. "A change of manager and everything that goes with it doesn't necessarily suit everyone.

"I spoke to Graeme Souness on a couple of occasions during the summer and he didn't want to do anything with Darren, but things have changed this week.

"I'm happy that a young player who is 21 years of age, and has a lot ahead of him, has signed for us."

Ambrose's departure is likely to be followed by the imminent arrival of Emre from Inter Milan.

The Turkey international is set to finally complete his protracted move to Tyneside this weekend after Newcastle officials reached an agreement over his personal terms.

Emre has verbally agreed to join the Magpies, provided the club can make a satisfactory offer to his current employers.

Newcastle are understood to have formally tabled a £4m bid on Thursday night - moments after Craig Bellamy completed his move to Blackburn - and anticipate receiving a response from Inter within the next 24 hours.

The Italians had been hoping to spark a bidding war for Emre's services, with Turkish side Fenerbache having previously confirmed their interest in the 24-year-old.

But the midfielder has subsequently dismissed any suggestion of a return to his homeland and told Inter officials he is keen to try his hand in the Premiership.

That leaves Newcastle firmly in the driving seat and the Inter board is expected to accept chairman Freddy Shepherd's offer, enabling the transfer to finally go through early next week.

"Everything has been finalised between Emre and Newcastle," confirmed Emre's agent, Ahmed Bulut.

"The matter is now in the hands of the two clubs and it would be wrong of me to say anything more while he is still an Inter Milan player."

Further midfield movement is expected next week, with Souness poised to step up his pursuit of Fulham winger Luis Boa Morte and Lee Bowyer ready to fly the Magpies' nest.

The Northern Echo first confirmed Souness' interest in Boa Morte last January, when the Scot met the Portuguese international in a London hotel.

Both parties were confident of sealing a deal at that stage but Boa Morte opted to sign a new contract at Craven Cottage and consequently helped keep Fulham in the Premiership.

Souness has maintained a watching brief since then and, while the winger has publicly committed himself to the Cottagers in recent weeks, he is understood to have privately given the Newcastle boss the green light to make a formal approach.

Boa Morte's current contract includes a get-out clause, whereby Fulham are unable to prevent him talking to any club that makes a £4m bid for his services.

Souness is reluctant to pay that much for the 27-year-old but is set to test Chris Coleman's resolve by tabling an initial offer of around £3m.

His coffers, which have already been replenished by the £6m sale of Bellamy and Ambrose, will receive an extra boost if Bowyer completes his move from St James' Park.

The former Leeds midfielder, who effectively ended his Newcastle career when he traded blows with team-mate Kieron Dyer last season, is still wanted by both Birmingham and Charlton with another of his former clubs, West Ham, continuing to monitor his availability.

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