Inter Milan striker Obafemi Martins said he was close to signing for Premiership side Newcastle United. "I'm close to moving to Newcastle despite all the initial setbacks," the Nigerian international told BBC Sport on Monday. "Eighty percent of the deal with Newcastle is completed." The 21-year-old forward has been unsettled at Inter Milan for a while and the arrival of Hernan Crespo from Chelsea and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Juventus has signaled his departure. Martins' representatives are in England finalizing what is reported to be a 10.9 million ($20.6 million) deal. His suitors were plenty, especially from the Premiership, a competition that Oba Oba said he would enjoy playing in. "Playing in the Premiership has been a long-term ambition and I am extremely delighted with the prospect of concluding that in the next couple of days," he said.
