Newcastle could have a very busy summer should they qualify for Champions League football, with an eight player shortlist reportedly having been drawn up ahead of the transfer window.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund backed Magpies have so far spent £250 million during their tenure as owners, with new arrivals such as Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak. However, this summer could have more requirements to follow this business by bringing in even more quality in order to compete in the Champions League next season, should they seal qualification.
This has led to Brazilian winger Neymar being touted as a potential signing. The 31-year-old has become unsettled at PSG and is expected to leave this summer, with Newcastle one of very few teams who could meet the wage demands and a transfer fee for a player who remains the most expensive in history, albeit not someone who has been named in an eight-man transfer shortlist.
With vast wealth at their disposal, the Newcastle owners could raid fellow Premier League clubs, with James Maddison, Mason Mount, Declan Rice and Kieran Tierney all on their radar, according to the Daily Mail.
There are further players said to be identified, all of whom may be more achievable deals for the club. Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, 20, could be one such name as his reported £50million release clause allows for business to be done swiftly and with clarity.
Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby has also been linked, with the Frenchman acting as a potential alternative to Williams having been previously touted for a move to St James' Park. In addition, talented Hungarian playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai is also named as a target along with talented Blackburn Rovers teenager Adam Wharton.
Such transfers would represent more realistic business than a move to sign Neymar would, with Eddie Howe himself recently outlining his specification for the type of player he will target with his summer business. Asked about a move to sign Neymar, the Newcastle boss explained his position last week.
Howe said: “That kind of speculation has been there from day one since the takeover, really. Naturally everyone has then assumed the biggest names in world football will be going to Newcastle.
“Now we've not recruited that way. I think financially, we can't recruit that way at the moment, but also we have to bring the right people and the right players into the group. It is best to discover them before they explode onto the world scene.
“We could not be able to come close to affording those players as they are the best players in the world. We are never going to be in a position currently to afford those transfer fees and wages, so we need to go underneath and find them young and develop them into the players they can be.
“I will say the transfer market is such a complex decision, you can't just pick a name and bring them in. There's got to be a lot of thought going into what we're doing both financially and looking at the players.
“It doesn’t frustrate me. Those two players are unbelievable players. We are linked with different names. I know what direction I want to take the team in and what we can and can’t do in the transfer market. A lot of the names will not be accurate.”
