FEW modern footballers divide opinion as much as Nicolas Anelka, but Graeme Souness is the latest manager to believe that he can tame a famously nomadic and truculent player. Depending on your viewpoint, the France centre forward is either a misunderstood genius or a disloyal sulker, yet he has emerged as one of Newcastle United’s leading targets in the transfer market.

Anelka swapped Manchester City for Fenerbahçe for a fee of £7 million only last January, but, according to Souness, the 26-year-old is enthusiastic about moving to St James’ Park. His brief spell in Turkey — he signed a 3½-season contract with the Istanbul club, with an option for a further season — has been mixed, featuring four goals, a league title and increasing disaffection.

That scenario may be familiar to supporters of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City (as well as Paris Saint-German and Real Madrid), but he remains an established forward blessed with pace and talent who has commanded £43.5 million in transfer fees and who should be approaching his physical peak. Souness is content that Anelka’s brittle attitude is not a concern and hopes that a bid of £4 million may snare him for Newcastle.

“I know Nicolas is desperate to come here,” Souness said. “I have done a lot of checks on him and everyone is telling me that he has got his head right. Last season was not great for him, but no one can say that Nicolas Anelka is not a proven, top goalscorer and there are not that many around who are available.” He has amassed 65 goals in 150 league starts in the Premiership.

Having dispensed with Craig Bellamy and Patrick Kluivert and with Alan Shearer entering the final year of his playing career, attracting new forwards to Tyneside has been a priority for Souness. Michael Owen was his first, ambitious choice and Anelka, whom he first tried to sign last winter, is his second. Next on the manager’s list would be Mark Viduka, of Middlesbrough.

Souness reiterated that Jermaine Jenas, Arsène Wenger’s preference to replace Patrick Vieira at Arsenal, is not available. It would take an offer of about £20 million to persuade Newcastle to rethink, although that stance would be tested if Jenas submitted a transfer request or intimated that he was unsettled.

At this stage, there is no suggestion of that and while the midfield player has been omitted from Newcastle’s 18-man squad that flies to Slovakia today for tomorrow’s Intertoto Cup match against Dubnica, it is not a sinister development. Jenas featured heavily in England’s post-season tour to the United States and has been given more time to rest, as has Stephen Carr, the Ireland defender.

A more imminent departure may be that of Lee Bowyer, who continues to attract the attention of Charlton Athletic, but Souness is more concerned with adding to a group of players that he admits is now “down to the bare bones”. Six experienced names have left in recent weeks and Souness is hoping to recruit five more signings.

Souness said it was “not true” that he was interested in Sol Campbell, the Arsenal defender, whose unease at recent developments at Highbury — he did not start the FA Cup Final — does not equate to a desire to move so far north. Sylvain Distin, of Manchester City, is a more realistic candidate to fulfil Souness’s criteria for “a central defender who can play left back at a push ”.

Neither Scott Parker nor Emre Belözoglu will be involved against Dubnica and it is clear that Souness does not regard the Intertoto with unchecked passion. “I want to do well in every competition, but my attitude is that the Premiership is everything,” he said.

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