Everton To Make Magpies Double Swoop?

Everton have made a late bid to sign Newcastle United pair Michael Owen and Alan smith, according to reports.

Toffees manager David Moyes has been widely reported as being close to a deal for former Manchester United player Smith, but this last ditch move for England International Owen is something of a surprise.

Speculation has heightened about Owen’s future at St James’ Park, with reports that the striker was unhappy at the new deal on offer at the Magpies, which would have meant the former Liverpool star taking a £1million-a-year paycut.

Moyes is likely to bring in Smith to Goodison Park for a fee in the region of £2million, but even though Moyes has been backed in the transfer market by chairman Bill Kenwright, the wages that Owen commands at Newcastle could be a problem for the Merseyside club to match.

However, Owen is a boyhood fan of the Toffees, which could prove enough for Owen to become only the 7th player in history to play for both halves of Merseyside.