NEWCASTLE United are to make Australian teenager Curtis Good their first summer signing after he impressed in a ten-day trial on Tyneside.

Good, who is a defender with Aussie side Melbourne Heart, impressed in a number of sessions at Newcastle's Darsley Park training base, and The Insider expects a formal approach for his services ahead of the opening of the transfer window later this summer.

The centre-half started his spell with the reserves squad, but was included in a number of senior sessions such was the extent of his impact.

However, Newcastle could have to pay up to £250,000 for the 19-year-old, as Melbourne Heart regard Good as the prize asset in their squad.

Melbourne officials turned down an offer of about £100,000 from Italian side Cagliari for full-back Michael Marrone last year, but The Insider has learned that Good is rated much more highly.

The youngster made 25 senior appearances in his debut season for Melbourne and is expected to be earn a first senior Socceroos call-up when head coach Holger Osieck names his next squad.

l NEWCASTLE fans will have been surprised to hear of Sol Campbell's official retirement from football earlier this week, given that the former England defender has done nothing since last pulling on their club's shirt in March 2011.

Campbell was released as a free agent at the end of the 2010-11 season and has not kicked a ball during the entirety of the current campaign.

However, he called a hastily-convened press conference in London earlier this week to formally announce his retirement.

Having watched some of his later performances for Newcastle, The Insider can't help wonder whether it came rather too late.

l THE second Sir Bobby Robson Foundation golf day was a huge success at Rockliffe Park this week, but rumours of cheating surfaced when a team of journalists featuring a member of The Northern Echo sports desk claimed the first prize.

Echo Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser teamed up with George Caulkin, of The Times, Simon Bird, of The Daily Mirror, and former Newcastle and England centre-half Steve Howey to scoop top spot.

The Insider has seen Fraser in action on the golf course in his role as The Northern Echo's golf correspondent. Suffice to say one of Caulkin, Bird or Howey must have been pretty good.