Alan Pardew is thought to be pursuing a January move for Dynamo Kiev striker Artem Milevskiy as a replacement for the wantaway Demba Ba.

The Newcastle boss has so far failed to talk Ba into signing a long-term deal, leaving the club worried they will receive a £7million bid in January, triggering a buy-out clause in the Senegalese star’s contract.

Milevskiy could be a viable option if Ba leaves the Toon. The 27-year-old is out of contract this summer and Kiev would rather take in £6m in the January transfer window than lose him for nothing in the summer.

That would represent a vastly cut-down price from the £14million price-tag Kiev placed on him when Roy Hodgson tried to sign him at Liverpool two years ago.

Pardew might have to face some stiff competition to secure Milevskiy’s signature. The striker’s agent Barry O’Connor told The Sun: “There is plenty of interest from more than one club in England.”

The Ukraine international has spent his entire career at Dynamo Kiev, where he has won every domestic honour available to him and may well feel this is the right time to move and see how he would fare on a different stage.

He operates in the hole behind the striker and so might be seen as a player who could support Papiss Cisse up front.

Milevskiy has netted 87 goals in 273 appearances for Kiev and has won 50 national team caps.