Newcastle United are battling away on the recruitment front on a number of options as Eddie Howe pushes for first signing
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United are still interested in Marc Guehi but the Crystal Palace skipper chances of a move to Liverpool are believed to be gathering pace.
Guehi remains a good option for Newcastle but Chronicle Live has learned that Eddie Howe is relaxed on transfers and hopes that a "breakthrough" will unfold soon. The month of July has always been earmarked as the month were things will genuinely heat up for Newcastle.
Sources close to the Palace centre-back have indicated that Guehi will look to move this summer rather than sit out the final year of his contract with the Eagles. Liverpook have tracked Guehi for last couple of seasons while Newcastle could not getthe deal done last summer despite intense discussion between sporting director Paul Mitchell and Palace chief Steve Parish.
After the talks collapsed - with Palace accused of "moving the goalposts" on the deal - Palace missed out on a £70m deal. But that price has been dramatically dropped by those close to the deal, and the fee could now be as little as £30m.
That would be all well and good for Newcastle, but Liverpool will be able to offer the England international bigger wages.
He is currently picking up around £50,000 per week at Palace and while money is not the defender's motivation, as he looks to fulfil his ambition at a bigger club, the Reds will be able to offer north of £200,000.
It would be an offer that could pip Newcastle, although as of the end of last season, Guehi's representatives had left the door ajar to Newcastle to return to the table and indicated that their client would still be open to a switch to St James' Park.
However, the emergence of Liverpool, who are red hot in the transfer market right now, could prove a real hurdle for the Magpies, who are currently in the process of an untimely handover between Mitchell and a makeshift transfer committee of Eddie Howe, Andy Howe, and Steve Nickson.
Giorgio Scalvini interest is not new
As reported by Chronicle Live last November, the Magpies have kept tabs on Scalvini for some time now. Head of recruitment Steve Nickson has run the rule over the 6ft 4in centre-back on numerous occasions.
A move for Scalvini should be deemed as exciting if Newcastle can pull it off, and while the big centre-half has struggled with injuries in recent times, he is deemed the future of Italian football with eight caps to his name already. Nickson was impressed with the right-footed centre-back's ease on the ball, while his aerial prowess should speak for itself.
He could make a formidable long-term partner for Sven Botman and would be able to learn from the likes of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar in his early years at the club.
James Trafford is expecting news
The Burnley stopper's holidays are winding to a close,e and he is believed to be keen to know if he will be starting pre-season with the Turf Moor club or getting a move to Newcastle on track.
As we have reported previously Trafford is keen on the move to Newcastle and while his £100,000 per week wages will not be an issue, it is whether he can be assured of regular first-team football or not.
The 6ft 6in stopper would be guaranteed a Premier League slot every week if he stays with newly promoted Burnley. He is bidding for the number 3 slot in the England World Cup squad but that might be complicated if Nick Pope is number 1 on Tyneside and playing well.
Pope is arguably one of Trafford's closest rivals for an England slot and has also not thrown the towel in on getting into Thomas Tuchel's squad.