Time is ticking for Newcastle United to bolster their squad to a strong enough standard in time for the opening weekend of the Premier League.
The recruitment team has been hard at work this week, with Malick Thiaw announced on Tuesday night, Jacob Ramsey looking increasingly likely to sign, and progress being made to finally bring Yoane Wissa to the club as well.
However, attacking depth is still critically short ahead of what will be a long campaign, particularly as no direct Callum Wilson replacement has been brought in just yet.
And Eddie Howe will be disappointed to see one of his preferred targets, one of the league’s most notable free agents, is now unlikely to join us this summer…
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Leeds United have reportedly won the battle to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin, following on from his departure from Everton at the end of last season.
Having spent nine years at Goodison Park, the striker will now make his way to Leeds to complete his medical ahead of an imminent transfer.
Calvert-Lewin reportedly met with ourselves, Daniel Farke’s side, and Manchester United this week to finalise his next move.
The England international had previously rejected a permanent move to Sunderland earlier in the window, and could be a big addition in terms of helping Leeds survive the Premier League this season.
Assuming we do sign Wissa in the coming days, one more forward would still be very welcome if we want to compete across multiple competitions.
Now Calvert-Lewin is off the table however, we’re quite limited in terms of free and affordable options.
Rodrigo Muniz, himself a previous target for both us and Leeds, is now looking close to signing for Italian side Atalanta, in a deal that could exceed over £35m.
Anthony Gordon can still be expected to deputise up top for the time being, particularly for our first three games of the campaign before the window shuts, but it’s essential that another new striker does come in before the window shuts.