Gael Bigirimana
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has made teenage midfielder Gael Bigirimana his second signing of the summer.
The Magpies reached an agreement with Coventry over the 18-year-old Burundi-born player, who moved to this country as a refugee in 2004.
Coventry chief executive Tim Fisher said: 'Gael is a great talent and we would, obviously, have liked him to stay here at Coventry.
'But when the Premier League comes calling - particularly a club the size of Newcastle United - it becomes increasingly difficult to stand in the player's way.'
The Magpies reached an agreement with Coventry over the 18-year-old Burundi-born player, who moved to this country as a refugee in 2004.
Coventry chief executive Tim Fisher said: 'Gael is a great talent and we would, obviously, have liked him to stay here at Coventry.
'But when the Premier League comes calling - particularly a club the size of Newcastle United - it becomes increasingly difficult to stand in the player's way.'
Bigirimana is seen as a potential addition to the development squad on Tyneside with owner Mike Ashley keen to invest in the future of the club as well as the present.
Bigirimana, who made 28 senior appearances for Coventry last season, 16 of them npower Championship starts, is expected to cost Newcastle around £1million, although the midlands club are understood to have negotiated a sell-on clause.
The player, along with his father, two brothers and sister, followed his mother to England as the family escaped their war-torn homeland.
He presented himself at Coventry's Academy training ground as an 11-year-old and asked for a trial after spotting it while walking to a local supermarket to buy milk, and rose swiftly through the ranks.
Bigirimana is the second arrival at Newcastle this summer with 22-year-old Reims midfielder Romain Amalfitano already on the books.
Pardew is intent on strengthening his squad both in terms of numbers and quality as he prepares for the new Barclays Premier League season and a Europa League campaign.
However, the development of a new generation of first-team players is also a high priority as the club attempts to maintain its astute investment policy..
Bigirimana, who made 28 senior appearances for Coventry last season, 16 of them npower Championship starts, is expected to cost Newcastle around £1million, although the midlands club are understood to have negotiated a sell-on clause.
The player, along with his father, two brothers and sister, followed his mother to England as the family escaped their war-torn homeland.
He presented himself at Coventry's Academy training ground as an 11-year-old and asked for a trial after spotting it while walking to a local supermarket to buy milk, and rose swiftly through the ranks.
Bigirimana is the second arrival at Newcastle this summer with 22-year-old Reims midfielder Romain Amalfitano already on the books.
Pardew is intent on strengthening his squad both in terms of numbers and quality as he prepares for the new Barclays Premier League season and a Europa League campaign.
However, the development of a new generation of first-team players is also a high priority as the club attempts to maintain its astute investment policy..
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