Premier League Transfer Rumors: Newcastle United Chase Bangura Duo

Despite a number of promising signings in the summer transfer window so far, it appears Newcastle United are still in the hunt for a striker.

Since losing star player Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January, they have lacked a true presence up front and are looking for some major reinforcements to cement their place among England's most respectable clubs.

They have already brought in a promising striker in Senegal's Demba Ba, but Magpies boss Alan Pardew has made himself clear, stating, "We are still looking hard for a striker, and we have got our eyes on every striker who is available at the moment. But they have to be the right fit for this club."

The Toon have been linked with a number of forwards, including PSG's Mevlut Erding and Mladen Petric of Hamburg. However, both deals are beginning to look more and more unlikely, and Newcastle will be forced to search elsewhere.

One place they are reportedly keen to turn to is Swedish Allsvenskan club AIK Solna, where they have been linked with striker duo Mohamed and Teteh Bangura.

The pair are both 21 years old and of no relation, but have a strong bond on and off the field. They grew up playing football together on the streets of their home country Sierra Leone, and even said Our dream when we were young was to come to Europe and play in the same team; now it's just like that.

Indeed, the majority of both of their young footballing careers were spent at Freetown club FC Kallon, owned by and named for Sierra Leone footballing legend and former Inter Milan player Mohamed Kallon. There, they arguably developed into the stars they are today, with Ibrahim Bangura managing 24 goals in 30 appearances and Mohamed notching out an equally fantastic 39 in 58.  

Now on the field in Europe, they have formed a formidable striking duo, totalling 19 goals in just 16 games this season. Teteh has scored approximately 14 of them, but Mohamed is more than willing to play the role of provider, as he does so well.

Together, they perform very well because they each possess great skill and prowess, and the fact that they grew up together and now play alongside each other in the Sierra Leone national team is a more than fitting reason for any club to want to snatch the duo up fast.

Ibrahim "Teteh" is a physically strong striker who has even been compared in playing style to Didier Drogba. He was playing as low as the fourth division of Swedish football last season, but his prolific goalscoring rate and brilliant individual skills were well worth the risk for AIK. It has paid off so far, as the forward has totaled 14 goals in as many appearances, making him the league's joint top scorer. 

His counterpart Mohamed is not as prolific, but his hardworking style of play, magnificent pace and sheer power sees him create and score goals at a rather impressive rate. Like Ibrahim, he was playing in the third division last year, but his move to AIK has definitely paid off, and Mohamed has scored a respectable 11 goals in 26 appearances for his new club.

The duo have also both recently received their international call ups to the Sierra Leone national football team. Both have also scored one goal each in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, each netting in separate fixtures against Niger. They have helped their team play out impressive draws with top African nations such as Egypt and South Africa and could yet help their country qualify for the finals for the first time in 16 years.  

It would be a spectacular sight to see the two move to Newcastle United, but AIK’s assistant manager added "As coach, I'd love it if they stayed for the next five years, but to be realistic, I think we can hold onto them for six months, maybe a year,” with head coach Andreas Alm adding,"It is really uncommon to go directly from Allsvenskan to one of the biggest leagues. Even Zlatan Ibrahimovic went via Holland.”

This too could be a possibility, as Ajax sporting director Jens Andersson is reportedly interested as well.

Teteh himself even commented, "“I know Newcastle have seen all my matches and follow me. It is the dream of every player to play in a better league, but right now I’m happy and pleased to be here."  

Whatever the case is, these two are a definitely a pair to follow, and it may not be long before you see the “Bang Bang Banguras” lighting up the Premier League!