Pardew have watched St Etienne's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for more than a year and the club are considering a summer move for the Ligue 1 forward.
But Newcastle could be priced out of a move for Aubameyang after interest from mega-wealthy Anzhi Makhachkala.
St Etienne are asking £12m and Anzhi are prepared to match that and offer incredibly high wages to land him.
The Russian league outfit are believed to be willing to offer around £6m-a-year after tax to Aubameyang and that could be as much as three-times more than any deal presented to him at St James' Park.
Tottenham and Arsenal have also shown an interest in Aubameyang from the Premier League, while Fiorentina and Inter Milan have both been credited with summer bids from Italy.
Vitesse Arnhem's Wilfried Bony is another option, with manager Alan Pardew determined to bring in more firepower following the January departure of Demba Ba to Chelsea.