Newcastle braces for Martins bids...

With Martins contract coming to an end soon Newcastle will probably be forced to take the highest bid or else lose the Nigerian national for next to nothing:

Newcastle were today bracing themselves for an approach for striker Obafemi Martins as speculation mounted that Manchester United could seek cover for Wayne Rooney. The 22-year-old is one of a number of frontmen to be linked with the Premier League champions, who have taken just two points from their first three games. United have scored only one goal - Paul Scholes' strike at Portsmouth - to date this season and with Rooney out for around seven more weeks with a fractured metatarsal and Louis Saha struggling for full fitness, manager Sir Alex Ferguson is being tipped to invest once again in an effort to plug the gap. Martins, along with Bolton's Nicolas Anelka and Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov, has been touted as a potential target and the fact that the Nigeria international has a £13million release clause in his contract at St James' Park means the Magpies would be powerless to prevent him leaving the club.

While I think that Anelka would be a better fit for Man U, Martins potential is immense and Man U might make an attractive enough bid for Newcastle to take.