LUIS BOA MORTE'S hopes of a move to Newcastle United could hinge on whether Graeme Souness has any cash left to spend after landing two of his priority signings.

Boa Morte is a long-term target of Souness but Fulham are not willing to allow the winger to go on the cheap, particularly as he signed a new three-year deal in January.

But the Magpies boss - who has spent £10.3m on Scott Parker and Emre this summer - knows a new striker and centre-back are higher on the agenda of positions to fill and a large chunk of his transfer budget may have to exchange hands.

It is likely to be only when Souness has landed a striker - with Nicolas Anelka topping his targets - that he will be able to weigh up whether he can go in and sign Boa Morte.

That will not suit Fulham boss Chris Coleman, who has set Newcastle a Friday deadline to put up or shut up regarding their interest in Boa Morte.

The Portuguese international has already claimed back in his home country that playing for Newcastle would be a help to his ambitions of regular European football.

The St James' Park board are adamant they will not be held to ransom in their quest to sign Anelka - and that could aid the Boa Morte situation.

Newcastle are prepared to make an initial offer of £6m for Anelka, who cost Fenerbahce £7m on deadline day in January.

But the Turkish club's vice-president Nihat Ozdemir said: "No offer has been made to the player or ourselves.

"We didn't buy him to sell him. We're going to reach many big successes in Europe with Anelka. We constantly aim to improve our squad and therefore we won't sell Anelka. Whatever the offer, we won't let him go."

If Fenerbahce refuse to budge on their inflated valuation, which some claim to be £13.5m, then Newcastle will turn their attentions elsewhere.

Souness is believed to have two other irons in the fire and the availability of Liverpool's Milan Baros, with the Reds set to seal the signing of Peter Crouch, could be an option.

A move to Tyneside for Baros was mooted towards the end of last season and he would be available at a much lower price - with West Ham reportedly ready to offer as little as £1m for him.

The centre-back situation still remains a cause of concern for Newcastle, with Titus Bramble set to miss the start of the campaign with a fractured elbow.

Liverpool are likely to reject any approach for their Finnish defender Sami Hyypia but Birmingham's Matthew Upson remains a distinct possibility.

Meanwhile, Newcastle revealed yesterday they have completed the signing of young goalkeeper Tim Krul on a three-year deal from Dutch club Den Haag.

The 17-year-old said: "I'm very happy, it's a fantastic move for me to sign for such a big club.

"To come and play in England has always been a dream. When I was a young boy I always used to say to my father that I wanted to come and play in England because the Premiership is very popular in Holland.

"I have been looking around St James' Park and it is a very beautiful stadium.

"There are so many great players at Newcastle and I am looking forward to meeting them all and starting training."

Newcastle's second goal in the Intertoto game with Dubnica has gone down as an own goal. That means Alan Shearer still needs eight goals to equal Jackie Milburn's 200-goal club record.

* Former Newcastle boss Ossie Ardiles has been fired as boss of Japanese club Tokyo Verdy 1969 after their third heavy defeat in five games on Sunday.

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