Newcastle United have agreed terms with Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton.
The Toon will meet Barton's £5.5 million buyout clause after holding talks with the England prospect yesterday.
Barton's capture came after Sam Allardyce beat Hammers boss Alan Curbishley to the punch and, during talks at the club's Darsley Park training headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, persuaded him he could fulfil his potential at Newcastle.
However, it is understood he was so impressed with what he saw and heard that he turned around and went straight back to the stadium to sign a deal which is thought to amount to around £70,000 a week.
Barton will arrive once again having to answer his critics after his training ground bust-up with City team-mate Ousmane Dabo, but with his pedigree in no doubt.
Allardyce will be confident of harnessing his temperament having managed the likes of El Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka during his time at Bolton, and that will be important with the Magpies having found themselves in the headlines for the wrong reasons on too many occasions in recent years.