Newcastle United want to add another striker to potentially play alongside Alexander Isak next season as Eddie Howe plans to refresh his Champions League-bound side.
Newcastle have made a sales pitch to Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap and The i Paper understands they also have a serious interest in Brighton’s Brazil international Joao Pedro.
Part of Newcastle’s proposal is that, having preferred to play Isak on his own for most of last season, the Magpies want to evolve their system to cope with a new set of challenges.
Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap is another who is on Eddie Howe’s wish list (Photo: Getty)Such forward thinking is typical of Howe, who is eyeing quality over quantity in the summer transfer window.
A centre-back and right-sided forward are also “non-negotiable” incomings, although a crop of younger, project-type players may also be signed to supplement the squad.
The blueprint – bringing in the best younger players with potential to develop them rather than ready-made stars like Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz – will not change.
“As much as we would want, and it’s much easier for me to bring in a ready-made world-class player, I don’t think we have done that since I came here because we haven’t been able to financially,” Howe said.
“We are not in the position of the other clubs. We have brought them in and we make them that. I don’t envisage that changing because of the profitability and sustainability rules [PSR] restraints on us.”
Those restraints have been loosened, to the extent where Newcastle are ready to pounce when the transfer market opens for a short 10-day window on 1 June.
Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey – who may be sacrificed as the Villans wrestle with their own financial issues – is understood to be on the club’s radar.
square FOOTBALL Eddie Howe holds talks with Newcastle owners as transfer plans take shape
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That the Magpies are in this position owes so much to a manager who had to oversee a hard “reset” in December after a defeat to Brentford that left them languishing in mid-table and prompted the first questions about Howe’s future.
A series of one-on-one meetings with key players, including Isak and Anthony Gordon and Isak, in which the law was laid down to them about their requirement to improve had the desired effect.
They collected 46 points in the following 20 games – title-challenging form. It also underlined why sources at Newcastle view Howe so highly: he has the emotional intelligence to match a growing tactical mastery of the game at the highest level.
A top five place alongside the Carabao Cup won in March represents an outstanding achievement from Howe, who belongs in the pantheon of elite Premier League managers after steering the club into the Champions League in trying circumstances.
And it has also got his paymasters out of jail after three windows without significant first-team signings, a consequence of a strategy that failed to anticipate struggles with player trading.
Having absorbed and managed that, he now needs to be backed because his team was running on fumes by the end of the season.
All of Howe’s preferred domestic targets – including Bryan Mbeumo, Illia Zabarnyi and Antoine Semenyo – come with hefty price tags.
Newcastle’s owners PIF have always maintained that they would back Howe to the extent the regulations allow.
That could mean a summer spend in excess of £250m given the club will now have around £100m of PSR headroom.
Howe stressed on Sunday that they need to move quickly, with attention shifting to the club’s director of football Paul Mitchell.
The i Paper understands the first of their summer deals could be confirmed by the end of the week – Malaga’s hugely promising winger Antonio Cordero is heading to St James’ Park – but there is also optimism that an early June addition can be brokered.
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Newcastle also look set to bid goodbye to Callum Wilson, who was in tears at the conclusion of the Everton defeat.
Howe said there would be discussions with his representatives while he also acknowledged “hard decisions” lie ahead.
It is understood the club are ready to negotiate an incentivised new contract with him after opting not to trigger an automatic renewal, but it remains to be seen if he accepts.
“Callum Wilson is and has been an incredible footballer for Newcastle,” Howe said.
“He’s someone who epitomises the spirit that’s got us to where we are – professional, brave. To come here and be the No 9 in the manner and at a moment in the club’s history when he did.
“The club needed hope and he gave them hope. He led the line with that responsibility and pressure that brought incredibly well.” Not for the first time this season, he was absolutely right.
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