Agent: Newcastle and QPR are after Macheda

The Italian forward looks poised to temporarily exit Old Trafford with Alan Pardew and Neil Warnock after his services, while a return to Italy has been ruled out

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda is poised to join a Premier League side on loan to gain top-flight experience, according to the player’s agent, with a return to Italy ruled out.

The Italian under-21 international’s representative Giovanni Bia has revealed Newcastle are leading the race to sign him on a temporary basis, although QPR are also interested.

Red Devils' boss Sir Alex Ferguson previously stated his intention to keep all his forwards at the club, but now appears willing to let the 20-year-old leave to get first-team action.

"Macheda doesn't return to Italy, Manchester United will send him on loan in the Premier League," the agent told calciomercato.com.

"At this time Newcastle has the edge over Queens Park Rangers."

Macheda burst on to the scene scoring a dramatic winner on his debut three seasons back to send United to the top of the table, but has since failed to establish himself and spent the second half of last season on loan to Sampdoria.

He currently finds himself behind Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen.

Both Newcastle and QPR find themselves short of options up front and it appears that both clubs see Macheda as a useful addition to their squads.