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Newcastle United have the intention to sign two players before their pre-season begins in July, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The Magpies are back in the Champions League and they are trying to recruit smartly in the summer transfer window to give Eddie Howe a squad which will be able to perform well next season.
Newcastle have four areas on their mind which they want to strengthen with centre forward, right winger, centre-back and a goalkeeper on the list.
However, it has been suggested that they are facing difficulty while recruiting their targets, as the high asking prices are putting them off.
They had been keen on Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, but pulled out of the running before the player indicated he wanted to join Manchester United.
People inside Newcastle believe that clubs are increasing the price tags of players, which they refer to as a ‘Saudi tax’, due to the Magpies’ ownership link with Saudi Arabia.
The Magpies found it difficult to navigate through the transfer market and due to their PSR situation, they cannot spend a fee north of £60m on players, with wages being a concern.
However, Newcastle have been linked with several players in recent days and they want to bring in at least two signings before Eddie Howe begins his pre-season in July.
Result Competition
Newcastle United 0-1 Everton Premier League
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United Premier League
Newcastle United 2-0 Chelsea Premier League
During pre-season the Magpies will head to Scotland to face Glasgow giants Celtic on 19th July and after that they will travel to Singapore to play a game against Arsenal.
Newcastle are working on a deal with Burnley to sign James Trafford and they have been linked with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro, who is in demand and has been keen to speak to Chelsea.
The club have concerns over Pedro’s price tag, as Brighton are known for being tough negotiators in English football.
Also, the deal will be dependent on Pedro’s willingness to be ready to compete with Alexander Isak, who scored 27 times for them, in the centre forward role.
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INSIDE FUTBOL SAYS:
Newcastle United have regularly found clubs quoting them inflated prices for players and that adds a level of complexity when it comes to getting deals done.
Last summer was something of a disastrous transfer window for Newcastle as they failed to deliver Eddie Howe with the centre-back and winger that he wanted, which made the campaign the boss then delivered all the more remarkable.
Howe though will want no repeat this summer and the onus is firmly on Newcastle’s deal-makers to make sure they get signings over the line for the manager, who deserves a strengthened squad with which to tackle the Champions League.