Alan Pardew bids to bring Chelsea striker Demba Ba back to Newcastle

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is trying to bring Demba Ba back to the club – just seven months after he left to join Chelsea for £7m.

The Senegal international – a Tyneside favourite before he started pushing for his transfer – does not appear to be part of Jose Mourinho’s plans at Stamford Bridge.

He was left out of the squad entirely for Monday’s trip to Manchester United when Mourinho opted to start with no strikers on the pitch. And with Samuel Eto’o set to join from Anzhi, Ba’s prospects of gametime are not likely to improve.

That’s persuaded Pardew to attempt to bring Ba back to St James’ Park. The bumper pay deal of £70,000 the 28-year-old secured when he joined the Blues could be a problem for the Magpies, but Ba is pressing ahead with attempts to sign him.

He has even gone as far as to declare that Ba is exactly what they are missing at the moment.

He said: “We’re still short. We’re short of Demba Ba. That’s what it looks like.

“And until Remy is fit, or we get another striker, it will be a problem for us.”

Ba scored 29 goals in 54 games during his time at Newcastle.