MICHAEL OWEN is lined up for a medical at Manchester United today before completing one of the most sensational transfers of the summer.

While much of the country has written off Owen after four years of under achievement at Newcastle United, the 29-year-old is on the verge of securing a deal that will hand the England striker a World Cup lifeline.

Owen’s contract at St James’ Park expired on Tuesday night and he has been angling for a deal at one of the Premier League’s top four clubs, although that seemed unlikely.

Now, though, it has emerged the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man is close to securing the perfect transfer, despite holding talks with Everton this week.

There is no disputing that Sir Alex Ferguson is taking a gamble on a player who has s p e n t much of his time on Tyneside recovering from injuries and struggling for form.

But with a World Cup on the horizon at the end of next season, Ferguson must feel that offering Owen the chance to come good at such a time would revitalise a career that last season reached a low point.

Manchester United were keen to recruit Owen after the last World Cup, but a succession of injuries led to Ferguson thinking again.

But following a failure to spend some of the £80m raised by the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo on either Olympique Lyonnais forward Karim Benzema or Carlos Tevez, Ferguson has had to reconsider his options.

News of Ferguson’s interest in Owen led to a flurry of activity at the bookmakers, with the odds of him joining United dropping from 20/1 to evens inside 24 hours. He ended the day 1/3 to sign for the Premier League champions.

With a medical planned for today, Owen must already be excited about the future – one that could yet end up with him forcing his way into Fabio Capello’s plans ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

Owen, who scored 26 goals in 58 Premier League matches for the Magpies, has been accused of lacking the hunger and desire for the game he once had, having endured such a difficult time on Tyneside. But if this free transfer goes ahead, England could once again have available the goalhungry striker Newcastle paid £16m for in 2005. Stoke, meanwhile, have denied any interest in Obafemi Martins.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley hopes to have sold the club by the end of next week and it was claimed yesterday that Derek Llambias, the managing director, had shown representatives of a Malaysian group looking to purchase the club around St James’.

■ Two of Newcastle’s August home matches have been rescheduled to be broadcast by Sky television. The visit of Reading will still take place on August 15 but at 5.20pm instead of 3pm. Newcastle’s home game with Leicester City will now take place on Monday, August 31, 7.45pm. It was due to take place on August 29.

The trip to Cardiff on September 12 has also been moved and will take place the following day, September 13, at 2.05pm.