Magpies snap up Portuguese starlet

Bobby Robson's massive reputation in Portugal, after his stint in charge of FC Porto, has played a large part in convincing the Sporting Lisbon midfielder that he should move to Newcastle United.

Newcastle confirmed to planetfootball that a deal was close, and were delighted to have captured one of Portugal's brightest prospects.

"We can confirm that the transfer is ongoing," said a spokesman for the club. "We are hopeful that we can make an announcement soon."

Viana was a late call-up to the Portuguese World Cup squad, after Daniel Kenedy failed a drug test - an indication of the esteem he is held in.

Agent Paul Stretford confirmed to Sky Sports that Robson had convinced the player that he should make the move to The Premiership.

"Bobby Robson is a past master at convincing people that his club's the place to be," said Stretford.

"They are going to get the documentation done through the course of the day [Thursday] but the player still need to undergo an MRI scan, and blood tests.

"The results of these will probably be done in 48 hours."

Chairman Freddy Shepherd was over the moon to have snapped up one of the best young players in the world - and believes that Viana will slot straight into the side.

"We have signed Hugo and we're delighted to have got him," said Shepherd.

"The general consensus of opinion is that he's the best young player in the world at the moment.

"He's a left-sided midfielder, just the player Bobby Robson wants to spearhead our Champions League bid for next season.

"But to tell you the truth, we had a few scary moments.

"Sporting Lisbon had already agreed a fee with Celta Vigo and then Liverpool actually moved in yesterday.

"However, Douglas and myself were determined to get our man and we kept the Sporting people up through the night."