Newcastle United transfers: Eddie Howe is looking to sign a striker this summer.
After last summer’s £119million splurge on Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade has returned eight Premier League goals and none since the turn of the year, Newcastle are prepared to dip into the striker market once again.
The Magpies are ending the season with 22-year-old William Osula leading the line as the club has suffered a hangover season following the £130million sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
Newcastle United’s existing striker situation
With Newcastle considering a move for a striker this summer, their existing strikers are all facing somewhat uncertain futures. Osula previously had a deal lined up to join Eintracht Frankfurt which ultimately fell through and has had plenty of interest from clubs across England and Europe.
Woltemade has also been linked with a move away from the club after a difficult first season on Tyneside despite early promise. Wissa’s fitness and form troubles have seen him limited to only a handful of Premier League starts following his £55million move from Brentford.
Wissa turns 30 in September and has limited re-sale value so soon after Newcastle shelled out a significant fee for the player.
Anthony Gordon has also played up front for Newcastle this season and is the most likely of the striker options to leave this summer amid transfer interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
All noises around Newcastle looking ahead to the summer are suggesting something of a squad rebuild job for Howe and his recruitment team.
The club will be looking to get business done quickly and avoid falling into the same traps as last summer with the Alexander Isak saga. The appointment of Ross Wilson as sporting director and David Hopkinson as CEO should help in that respect.
NUFC eye 35-goal striker
Newcastle has expanded its recruitment network abroad and are currently monitoring various markets across Europe.
Away from the obvious, Germany, French, Italian and Spanish markets, Newcastle are also looking at Portugal as a potential area to recruit from, which often represents better value for money that the more high profile European leagues.
And when turning your attention to Portugal, you don’t need to look far before the league’s top scorer Luis Suarez catches your attention.
The Colombian striker has scored 35 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions for Sporting CP this season.
Various reports have linked Newcastle with a move for the 28-year-old, who is valued at around £40-50million this summer. Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in the forward.
Representatives from Newcastle’s recruitment team have recently seen Suarez in action, with Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande also linked.
Suarez has picked up the scoring mantle for Sporting left by Viktor Gyokeres’ departure last summer. Gyokores scored 54 goals in 52 appearances in his final season in Portugal and has largely been a success at Arsenal, with his 21 goals helping the side reach the Carabao Cup and Champions League finals as well as top of the Premier League table with two games left to play.
But there are question marks over whether Newcastle will act on their reported interest in the striker, who turns 29 later this year and this season is the only time he has reached double figures in a top flight campaign.
Suarez previously spent three years on Watford’s books as a youngster but failed to make an appearance before becoming somewhat of a European journeyman, with nine clubs in the last nine years.
While Newcastle would ideally look to get business done quickly, Sporting would prefer to bide their time given Suarez’s likely involvement in the upcoming 2026 World Cup with Colombia, which could see his value rise further.
Continue Reading