Eddie Howe eyeing four ‘elite’ Newcastle signings as he sets sights on Champions League success

Harry Watkinson

Newcastle United will look to bring in four ‘top quality’ signings this summer if they qualify for the Champions League, according to reports.

Due to their Saudi-backed ownership, the Magpies now have the funds to compete for world-class players and their ambitious project will no doubt be appealing to many of their targets.

Indeed, Eddie Howe has helped guide Newcastle from being relegation contenders to trophy challengers, with the North East club currently sitting in fourth place in the Premier League table.

Now, the Tynesiders are ready to step up their transfer plans by becoming ‘more aggressive’ in the summer window than anticipated.

This is according to the Daily Telegraphwho claim that the club initially set a budget of just £20m for the upcoming window, which the Newcastle hierarchy only planned to increase if player sales were made.

However, Howe and Director of Football Dan Ashworth have reportedly persuaded the club’s hierarchy to spend more heavily while they are in good form.

It is believed that the manager wants to add an attacker, two midfielders, a left-back and a right-footed centre-back – as he looks to bring in four ‘elite’ signings.

As noted in the report, the attacking players on Newcastle’s radar are Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen, Marcus Thuram, Jarrod Bowen, Kaoru Mitoma, Harvey Barnes, Moussa Diaby and Khvicha Kvarateskhelia.

In fairness, Newcastle’s attackers have been key to their success this season – with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson’s goals helping fire them into the top four.

However, players with quality like Osimhen and Kvarateskhelia could arguably turn Howe’s team into title contenders, so it will be interesting to see if the Magpies make a concrete offer for their services this summer.

In terms of midfielders, they are looking at James Maddison, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Scott McTominay and Gabri Veiga.

Their main target is thought to be Rice, but with Arsenal firmly in the race for the West Ham captain’s signature, Newcastle could face a bidding war for him this summer.

The only known left-back target on Howe’s shortlist is Kieran Tierney, who has struggled for consistent minutes with the Gunners this term, while no centre-back options have been named, so far.

However, it is noted that Newcastle do not want to classify any player as a ‘primary target’ yet and will keep their options open as we edge towards the end of the season.

Indeed, Howe’s current focus will be on securing his team’s spot in the top four, with fifth-place Tottenham trailing them by three points.

Newcastle are set to face Tottenham on Saturday, before facing six tough remaining games against Everton, Southampton, Arsenal, Leeds, Leicester and Chelsea, as they look to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2004.

READ MORE: RANKED: The ten biggest Premier League bottle jobs of all time, as Arsenal cling on for dear life