Newcastle evening headlines with Eddie Howe asked…

Newcastle evening headlines with Eddie Howe asked about James Maddison transfer

Eddie Howe has refused to be drawn on speculation that Newcastle United have seen an offer for James Maddison turned down. Elsewhere, the Magpies rounded off their pre-season preparations with a win over Athletic Bilbao.

Here is a look at the top Newcastle United stories for July 30.

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Howe on Maddison

Eddie Howe has responded to emerging talk from Leicester City that Newcastle United tabled a £40million bid for James Maddison.

The England international is believed to be United's latest target after unsuccessful bids for Jack Harrison and Moussa Diaby. When asked if he would comment on the Maddison story, Howe said: "Predictable answer, no (on Maddison).

"We are trying and would love to add to the squad before the Forest game."

Bilbao victory

Newcastle United earned a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao to round off their pre-season schedule with a second win in 24 hours. Having beaten Serie A side Atalanta on Friday night, United then enjoyed a victory over the team that finished eighth in La Liga last term.

On a muggy afternoon at St James' Park the crowd of 46,856 saw Newcastle take full control of the game to storm 2-0 up in the second half. And despite a late rally from Bilbao, who pulled a goal back through Raul Garcia and struck the post, Newcastle did enough to hold on for the win.

Five things learned

Newcastle United earned their second victory of the weekend with a well-fought win over La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao inside a packed St. James' Park.

Eddie Howe named an entirely different XI to Friday night's win over Atalanta as the 46,000 fans got the chance to see Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman in action.

Here is what we learned from the second of Newcastle's pre-season friendlies this weekend.

Shelvey update

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says Jonjo Shelvey appears to have suffered nerve damage in his hamstring during the Eusebio Cup defeat to Benfica. The Magpies midfielder's return date remains unknown as the club wait to see the extent of the damage.

Shelvey missed Friday's win over Atalanta and will play no part in Saturday's clash with Athletic Bilbao. The former Liverpool star was replaced in Lisbon earlier this week after limping off in the second-half.

Speaking after Friday's win, Howe admitted the club were waiting to see scale of the problem. "Everyone available bar Fede Fernandez, Jamal Lewis, Javier Manquillo. Jonjo won't be involved tomorrow," he told reporters.

Supermac column

Newcastle owner Amanda Staveley is determined that United will follow Sunderland into the big time. She is going to promote and push women's football on Tyneside and bring the team under the umbrella of the Premier League club.

Remember when Newcastle Ladies played Alnwick Town in a fourth tier game at St James Park in May their was an unbelievable crowd of 22,134. Victory early Sunday night at Wembley will bring an extra explosion of interest in women's football and NUFC would do well to become part of that revolution.