Robson looks to Okoronkwo to bolster Magpies' defence

Sir Bobby Robson, the Newcastle United manager, hopes to sign the Nigerian World Cup centre-back, Isaac Okoronkwo, prior to next season.

Robson has begun talks to sign the 25-year-old defender who is at the end of his contract with the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Okoronkwo impressed Sir Bobby a few months ago when he joined the Magpies for a week's training and the manager decided then to make a move for him when he became a free agent.

Okoronkwo would bring plenty of European experience with him to St James' Park, having played in the Champions' League with the Ukraine club.

Blackburn Rovers are giving James McEveley, their highly-rated young defender, a new four-year contract after his breakthrough season. Although the powerful teenager has played only a handful of games for Graeme Souness's side, he will feature away to Tottenham on Saturday when Blackburn battle to secure a Uefa Cup place.

Steve McClaren, the Middlesbrough manager, is to open talks with Panathinaikos after their Ghanaian midfielder, Derek Boateng, impressed during a trial with the club.

Boateng has been at Boro since last weekend as McClaren tries to sign him as a cut-price replacement for the on-loan Géremi if the price is right. The powerful player is keen to move to the Premiership and hopes a deal – possibly for as little as £1.5m – can be agreed.

Real Madrid are holding out for a bigger fee for Géremi than Boro's initial offer of £3m plus instalments. However, the Boateng deal may put an end to those negotiations.

The Boro strikers Massimo Maccarone and Malcolm Christie will both undergo operations at the end of the season. Maccarone will have an operation to correct a shoulder problem with which he arrived on Teesside last summer, while Christie has been playing with a hernia problem.

Manchester City's Argentinian misfit, Matias Vuoso, could be loaned out next season to help him get used to the demands of English game.

The 21-year-old striker has failed to make an impression since his £5m switch from Independiente last summer, and five appearances on the substitutes' bench earlier in the season did not bring him any first-team action.

"I will have patience with him," the City manager, Kevin Keegan, said. "If we think it will be right to loan him out, then we will. He has got some improving to do and we thought he would be closer to the first-team after what we had seen of him. But he is one of the best headers of the ball in the club and he is brave. Hopefully he will improve and then come back next year and make some sort of challenge for a place in the team."

The Australian winger Stan Lazaridis has been offered a new two-year contract at Birmingham City. Steve Bruce, the Blues' manager, had revealed he wanted to take up the one-year option on Lazaridis's contract, but has now offered him an extra year on top.

The Wales midfielder Matt Jones has been put on the transfer list by the Leicester City manager Micky Adams, but the out-of-contract veterans Gerry Taggart, Paul Dickov and Brian Deane have been made new offers.

Jones, a £3m buy from Leeds United in 2000, has two years to run on his contract and has been told he can go on a free transfer but Taggart, Dickov and Deane – who were all out of contract in the summer – have been asked to stay. Billy McKinlay, who joined Leicester for free last year after being released by Clydebank, has been offered a new deal, but the winger Nicky Summerbee will be released.