The former Newcastle United frontman, 33, has been training at PPG Canalside with Chris Powell’s Championship squad and has impressed.
Powell confirmed the Nigeria international has caught the eye and is the sort of top-flight quality player he’s looking to add.
“He has been training with us and it’s been a good opportunity to have a look at him,” said Powell, who takes his side to Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic in their next two matches.
“I must admit, for a player of his stature to just say they will come and train has been quite refreshing, and he has been excellent around the place.
“Shola has trained really well, he played 45 minutes in a training-ground game we organised against Rochdale, scored and linked up really well.
“So we will have to see how it progresses. He is still here, so there’s the possibility of us having good discussions with his advisor, I will speak to him and we’ll see where it leads.”
Ameobi, who played well over 300 times for Newcastle, was with Crystal Palace towards the end of last season.
“I keep thinking we need that type,” admitted Powell, who has James Vaughan out injured and seemingly looking for a move away in the final year of his contract.
“He is a good size and good stature, he can head the ball and he would give us something slightly different. While he wouldn’t be running around all over the place, if we can get the legs and pace around him then he would be a very decent asset to us, so we will see.”
Powell said there was no timescale at this stage and, with Ameobi being a free agent, it wasn’t a deal tied to the loan window.
“I want to be fair to him because he is a senior player,” said the boss.
“You don’t want someone like that hanging around for weeks and weeks and not doing anything.
“We’ve had him for seven or eight days in training and hopefully that will lead to something. We will just have to wait and see where it goes.”