Everton look to Michael Owen after Newcastle United's decline and fall

02 June 2009 10:08
Everton manager David Moyes, who was priced out of a deal for Owen four years ago, is considering a move for the Newcastle United forward, who is a free agent after coming to the end of his £110,000-a-week four-year contract at St James' Park.[LNB]Newcastle's relegation from the Premier League has ended any prospect of the 29 year-old signing a new deal on Tyneside.[LNB] Related ArticlesEverton's FA Cup failure down to MoyesAshley exit won't cool Shearer spirit'Loyal' Moyes to stay at EvertonMoyes: Defeat must motivate usSaha's record strikeHiddink bows out in styleWith a succession of injuries restricting Owen to just 71 league outings for Newcastle since his £16 million transfer from Real Madrid in August 2005, however, Everton have no intention of offering the former Liverpool forward anything remotely close to his present salary.[LNB]But the FA Cup finalists are understood to be keen to lure Owen back to Merseyside with an offer that would see the player receive a signing-on fee in the region of £1.5 million, plus incentive-based wages that could rise to a figure of £50,000-a-week and see him join Yakubu and Tim Cahill in the club's top salary bracket.[LNB]With the package likely to cost Everton £4 million in terms of wages and signing-on fee, it would be regarded as a relatively low-priced 'gamble' in a transfer market inflated by the wealth of Chelsea and Manchester City.[LNB]Moyes has shortlisted Owen as a possible summer recruit, despite the player's injury problems and the patchy fitness records of Everton forwards Louis Saha, Yakubu and James Vaughan.[LNB]With City manager Mark Hughes identifying Carlos Tevez as his priority target up front and Aston Villa showing little sign of interest in Owen, Everton are likely to be the player's best option this summer.[LNB]A move to Goodison Park would offer him a return to European football and the opportunity to break back into the England squad in the build-up to next year's World Cup in South Africa.[LNB]Owen, who has scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for his country, has been continually overlooked by Fabio Capello since the Italian's arrival as England coach 18 months ago.[LNB]He has not appeared on the international scene since playing against France in Paris in March 2008, but the prospect of regular first-team football at Goodison, plus a move back to his native North-West, would be viewed as a possible springboard back into Capello's plans in time for the World Cup.[LNB] 

Source: Telegraph