Newcastle United’s transfer window is finally kicking into gear, albeit at a far latter stage than we would’ve liked with the opening game of 2025/26 just a few days away.
Alongside the imminent arrival of Malick Thiaw and confidence that Yoane Wissa will soon be a Newcastle player once Brentford sign a replacement, Newcastle are pushing for a midfielder.
The club are showing serious interest in Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss and could activate his £30m+ release clause. However, that’s not all, as another option is also being pursued.
[The Athletic’s](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6546338/2025/08/12/transfer-latest-manchester-united-arsenal-real-madrid-liverpool-carlos-baleba/) main man David Ornstein has confirmed that Newcastle United are in talks with Aston Villa over a deal for Jacob Ramsey.
The 24-year-old midfielder is a ‘priority target’ and player we attempted to sign last year, with Newcastle looking to pounce now he’s entered the final two years of his contract with no sign of an agreement to extend.
Ornstein reports that a sale is likely, and it’s perhaps crucial that the player sees Newcastle as his ‘preferred destination’ with the pull of Eddie Howe and a Newcastle project featuring Champions League football appealing to the former England U21 star.
West Ham have also shown interest, with Graham Potter a big fan, but it seems Ramsey will opt for Newcastle if a compromise can be reached during talks with Villa; who we play on the opening day this Saturday.
Ramsey would be an upgrade on the injured Joe Willock in the left-sided midfield role, but can also play out wide or as a number 10.
A move for the midfielder would make it summer signing number, following first team moves for Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale soon-to-be confirmed Malick Thiaw, with project players also arriving in Antonio Cordero and Park Seung-soo.