Newcastle United are hoping to secure a deal for Anthony Elanga in the coming days
Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest
Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest
Anthony Elanga looks to already have played his final part as a Nottingham Forest player with the Newcastle United target closing in on a move to the Magpies.
While his City Ground team-mates have returned to training, Elanga has been spending the final days of his summer break hard at work on his fitness out in Portugal, with a Newcastle medical set to take place in the coming days. This, after the two clubs in question came to an agreement over a £55m-plus deal.
As players around the Premier League return for the start of pre-season, Elanga had not been due back at Forest until later this month due to his International exploits in June. The Sweden winger featured in one of two fixtures for Jon Dahl Tomasson's side - a 2-0 win over Hungary.
The bulk of Newcastle's first-team stars are indeed now back on Tyneside, with Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall starting preparations for a four-competition tilt this season. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, work continues on ensuring fresh faces are added to Newcastle's senior squad in the near future.
The Magpies submitted an improved £55m bid for Elanga last week, with the structure of a potential transfer being discussed in recent days. The structure of the deal was agreed on Monday.
Meanwhile, the attacker is ensuring he is fighting fit for his England return, putting the hard yards in out in Vilamoura, Portugal. The former Manchester United star has been working with his long-time, trusted coaches both on the pitch, on the running track and in the treatment room.
Elanga has been put through his paces by Tom Joyce, a certified Nike trainer, who has a vast history of strength and conditioning coaching with Premier League stars. He has also worked closely with Simon O'Brien, a University lecturer and sports rehab therapist.
Elanga has also been working on his shooting, passing and close control with Ben Mangan in recent days. The UK-based coach also works with the likes of Mason Greenwood and Kobbie Mainoo to provide tailor-made programs to improve performance.
Howe will no doubt be buoyed by Elanga's solo training on the continent after handing his own stars individual plans to work on during their well-earned summer breaks. The likes of Sven Botman, Harvey Barnes, Kieran Trippier, Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff could be seen documenting their fitness sessions in various corners of the world in recent weeks.
Newcastle have pre-season clashes planned with Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the coming weeks, with confidence growing Howe will have fresh faces at his disposal by the time these friendlies come around. The north east outfit will also jet to Austria in the near future, before their trip to Asia towards the end of the month.
Newcastle are yet to strengthen Howe's hand despite multiple attempts to land desired targets already this summer. Meanwhile, Monday brought news Callum Wilson would depart the club after five years.
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