The summer transfer window shuts in 25 days time and, as of Friday afternoon, our striker department needs three things: an Alexander Isak solution and more than likely two new arrivals to allow for his exit.
Newcastle must act quickly after Benjamin Sesko became our latest ‘miss’ of a brutal summer this week, and we are starting to get an idea of who the club could turn to next.
Several options remain on the table, from Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins to Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, but our hopes of landing Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and Yoane Wissa of Brentford may have just received a triple boost.
According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle’s Saudi owners have a good relationship with Chelsea chiefs, which could help in potential negotiations for the Senegalese striker.
Not only that, claims of an £80m asking price have now been played down, with Hope revealing that there is a deal to be done at £60m if Newcastle want it after informal talks.
Another potential boost is that Bayern’s reported interest in Jackson has already been played down. Despite links via Sky Sports last night, Bayern’s own Max Eberl said “definitely not” when asked about links to the 24-year-old.
Now to Wissa, both Hope and reports emerging on Friday afternoon have confirmed that Brentford are now in talks with Bournemouth over a move for Dango Ouattara.
The Bees have insisted on signing a replacement before sanctioning Wissa’s sale, so this may be the first domino to fall, with Hope believing a deal in the region of £35m could be agreed for Wissa once someone arrives.
Ben Jacobs also reports that, despite rival interest from NEOM and Saudi giants Al Nassr, the DR Congo star remains eager to join Newcastle, with the 28-year-old prioritising the chance to play in the Champions League for the first time.
So, to summarise:
Chelsea will sell for £60m, there is a good relationship between the two clubs and Bayern won’t rival any bid.
Brentford are in talks to sign Wissa’s replacement and a £35 sale could be sanctioned.
Wissa is still keen to join, despite Saudi interest.
Fingers crossed, folks.