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New Magpies boss Steve McClaren thought he was in pole position to land the QPR hitman.

But his old international foe, former Croatia coach Slaven Bilic - who has taken the helm at Upton Park - has told his board Austin is the man he wants.

Relegated QPR want at least £15m for Austin, who has just a year left on his Loftus Road contract.

The Hammers believe they are convincing the 25-year-old the benefits of staying in the London area, also arguing they are on the verge of becoming a big club when they move into the Olympic Stadium in a year.

Austin scored 18 goals as Rangers were relegated last season and earned himself a first call-up for Roy Hodgson's England squad.

But he was not given his chance in the friendly 1-1 draw in Ireland and a week later as the Three Lions beat Slovenia 3-2 in their final Euro 2016 qualifier of the season.

Cash-strapped Rangers have accepted they cannot hold onto Austin in the Championship.

But owner Tony Fernandes will push to get as high a price as possible for him.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are close to sealing the one-year loan signing of Manchester United flop Radamel Falcao from Monaco.

The deal - which is set to see the Colombian forward paid around £200,000 a week - could be completed by the end of this week.

It is understood Monaco are also demanding Chelsea pay them a £3m loan fee for the 12 months' signing.