Are we about to pip Ipswich to the post and grab Ameobi from Newcastle?

I was settling down last night to watch Location, Location on V+ (I lead a very rock n’ roll lifestyle) when this popped up on NetNewsWire from the Daily Mail feed:

Ameobi on brink of £3.5m deal to leave Newcastle for Norwich

Norwich are on the verge of signing Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi in a deal that could ultimately be worth £3.5million.

The former England U21 striker has knocked back moves to Ipswich and Stoke this summer but is keen to link up with his former St James’ Park manager Glenn Roeder, who is believed to have persuaded his board to find the finance for the deal.

That was it. No sources, no “club insiders”, just that Ameobi is on the brink of joining City for a fee that could ultimately be worth £3.5m.

(Just to clarify, yes I do subscribe to the Daily Mail football feed but no, I’m not a homophobic xenophobe. If it makes you feel any better I also subscribe to The Independent, The Times, The Guardian (where a certain R Waghorn keeps appearing, kudos), and, erm, The Sun).

Anyway, back to the matter in hand. Most people were pretty much of the same mind when it came to forking out £3.5m for Ameobi a week or so ago – i.e. that even if we had that sort of money to spend then we’d be bonkers to drop it all on one player – but the word “ultimately” could cover a whole multitude of sins.

All of a sudden I’m almost excited about what the summer could bring. Have the Turners decided to stump up more cash? Is there a certain Mr. Cullum standing stage right waving a huge cheque book? Maybe Glenn Roeder has just managed to get himself a bargain? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s all nonsense.

Whichever one it is, the smart money suggests that the second longest-running transfer saga in recent memory is coming to its conclusion. Maybe Location, Location can wait another week…

UPDATE: Not half an hour after the post goes live this appears on the Pink’un. Looks like that’s about it then!