CHANCEL MBEMBA flew into Tyneside yesterday to complete an £8m move to Newcastle United, but the Magpies’ pursuit of Charlie Austin continues to stall, with QPR boss Chris Ramsey predicting the England international will still be at Loftus Road at the start of next season.

Mbemba was given a tour of St James’ Park yesterday afternoon, and is due to complete a medical this morning before club officials confirm his arrival from Anderlecht.

The 21-year-old centre-half will become Newcastle’s third signing of the summer, although his arrival has come too late for him to be considered for Sunday’s pre-season friendly at Sheffield United.

His former Anderlecht team-mate, Aleksandar Mitrovic, could be involved at Bramall Lane however as he is due to begin training with his new team-mates ahead of the trip to South Yorkshire.

Mbemba’s signing was effectively sealed when Newcastle became the first club to trigger the automatic release clause in the DR Congo international’s contract in Belgium.

Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid were also interested, but the Magpies’ recruitment team outflanked them in the race to land the defender, whose arrival will place further doubts over the future of Fabricio Coloccini, who has been linked with a possible move to Crystal Palace.

Steve McClaren is still hoping to complete another three signings before the transfer window closes, but Newcastle’s attempts to land Austin have not progressed since the club first flagged up their interest in the striker at the start of the summer.

Magpies managing director Lee Charnley has held a series of discussions with senior figures at QPR, but refuses to meet a £15m asking price that is regarded as non-negotiable within the corridors of power at Loftus Road.

To further complicate matters, Austin remains reluctant to move to the North-East as personal issues mean he would prefer to remain much closer to London.

Leicester and West Ham have also discussed Austin’s future with the QPR board, while Aston Villa are understood to have had a bid of around £12m rejected earlier this week.

Villa are expected to return with an improved offer following the £32.5m sale of Christian Benteke to Liverpool, but Ramsey does not expect a quick resolution to the current impasse and is preparing to field Austin in QPR’s opening matches of the new Championship season.

“There have been offers, and with a player of Charlie’s ability, there will always be speculation,” said the QPR boss. “But at the moment, there has been nothing concrete.

“We’ve had offers that we’ve rejected, and we’ve had offers that Charlie himself has not been happy to take on.

“At the moment, he’s a QPR player and he’s working hard in training. I’m having the idea that he will be here into the season. If he is here during the season, then he is going to be someone that we want to use.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Taylor is training with Championship side Hull City following his release from Newcastle at the end of last season.