He said, "I want to go a step further, and Newcastle seems to me a great club where I can show some of my qualities." Bobby Robson is also an admirer of Tugay.

A key figure in any deal is certain to be Newcastle's technical director Gordon Milne, who is well-respected in Turkey after leading Besiktas to three league titles in the 1980s.

Tugay, though, insists that he has no problems with life at Blackburn, where he has linked up again with Graeme Souness, who coached him at Galatasaray.

"I have to do my best for Blackburn this season," he said.

And Souness certainly rates him highly. "He is a model professional and if a manager had 11 of them he would never have a headache, that's the highest recommendation I can give him," he said.

The 31-year-old has often shown a desire to prove himself at higher and higher levels after enjoying a hugely successful career in Istanbul.

"I could have stayed in Turkey and wallowed in my own name but I don't want the easy life, I want to show everyone that I can succeed in Europe with Rangers," he said on quitting Galatasaray in the 1999-2000 season.

"I was one of the best players in the Galatasaray team but I now have to prove to myself and the rest of the world that I can be the best at another club."