Newcastle United are looking at options to bolster their attack after Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have struggled this season.
The Magpies have gone from a free-scoring side in recent seasons to being unable to hit a barn door from two yards during this campaign.
While we fully expect that if both Wissa and Woltemade are still here next season, we will see big improvements after a full pre-season schedule behind them, Newcastle don’t seem to be prepared to take the risk that they may not and will add another centre-forward to the ranks this summer.
Newcastle are likely to be linked with any and every striker going between now and the moment they actually sign one, and this latest link definitely feels like it falls into the “throw something at the wall and see what sticks” category.
While Newcastle have shown interest in Ollie Watkins in the past, the fact that the Aston Villa striker is now 30 and is coming off the back of a difficult season in which he’s only scored nine Premier League goals, we aren’t so sure about this one.
The link comes from SportsBoom, who report that AC Milan are preparing a summer move for the former Brentford striker after finding it hard to score this season.
A move to Italy we can believe, but their report also mentions that Newcastle are still in the mix after reporting as much earlier in March.
EXCL: AC Milan have entered the race to sign Ollie Watkins.🇮🇹🔥
The Aston Villa striker could be set for a Serie A switch as he looks to revive his form after a difficult season and England snub.👀
Newcastle remain in the mix. #AVFC #ACMilanhttps://t.co/knZJG93xWJ
— Sportsboom (@Sportsboomcom) March 31, 2026
As we’ve already said, this one doesn’t add up for us. Watkins has proven himself to be a prolific striker over the years, but he has had a poor season and lost his place in the England team when there was a clear need for a striker.
The whole idea of Newcastle looking for a new striker is to bring in one who can score goals when our record signing isn’t doing it. Bringing in another player short on confidence makes no sense.
Finally, there’s his age. Watkins will turn 31 at the end of the year, and Ross Wilson’s mission is to lower the average age of the squad, so we expect any new signings to be in their mid-20s at the oldest.
A few years ago, we’d have been excited by this one, but not now.