Wes Brown is expected to end his 11-year association with Manchester United by moving to Newcastle as a free agent next summer. The defender is stalling on a new contract from the Barclays Premier League champions and has told friends that he will not sign. With United refusing to increase their offer, Brown has accepted that he will have to leave Old Trafford when his current deal expires at the end of the season. Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has long been a fan of the 28-year-old England defender and has been monitoring his situation since the summer.
It is understood that Newcastle's former United players, Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, have helped persuade Brown to go. Ironically, his decision to sever ties with his only club comes as he is enjoying an extended run at right back in place of injured club captain Gary Neville.
But he is upset that his £40,000-aweek wage falls some way behind team-mates and knows that manager Sir Alex Ferguson has enquired about Bayern Munich's Willy Sagnol and Philip Lahm.
Brown is rated by Ferguson as one of the best defenders in the country but he has endured a stop-start career since his debut nine years ago, largely because of the form of Neville and a wretched injury record. He has been affected by Ferguson's refusal to improve his contract offer and his form has suffered. On Sunday at Liverpool he was, by some distance, United's worst outfield player.