United and Hamburg have been in a two-way tussle for the signature of Germany under-21 striker Lassoga all summer, with Newcastle having met Lassoga’s mother Kerstin earlier in the summer.
At one point this month he appeared to be on the brink of agreeing to sign for Newcastle after expressing an interest in playing in the Premier League – only to insist that he wanted more time to make a decision.
Now the Bundesliga side have claimed a breakthrough in the negotiations and say a move may be clinched as early as this afternoon.