Newcastle close to deal for £15m full-back as talks ongoing for Hugo Ekitike
Newcastle hope to launch their summer recruitment drive within days by completing a permanent deal for full-back Matt Targett.
The 26-year-old Aston Villa defender enjoyed a successful loan spell on Tyneside during the second half of last season and the Magpies are said to be keen to tie up the transfer as soon as possible.
READ MORE: Newcastle have made the best signing of the summer in the anti-Charnley Dan Ashworth
It is understood the move would cost the club a total of £15milion, with the player’s £3million loan fee part of that figure under a framework established during initial talks.
Newcastle are hopeful that the deal could be done this week, but are taking nothing for granted after negotiating a tricky January transfer window during which they pulled the plug on a series of potential signings after failing to reach agreement following protracted discussions.
The club are also in ongoing talks over Reims striker Hugo Ekitike – one of the men they chased during the January transfer window.
That deal would be considerably more expensive, with reports suggesting the 19-year-old could cost the club’s 80 per cent Saudi-backed owners up to £36million plus add-ons.
Amanda Staveley’s consortium invested around £94million in a January spending spree which helped Eddie Howe guide his team to Premier League safety, but the head coach has repeatedly warned fans not to expect massive investment this summer as the hierarchy attempts to comply with profit and sustainability regulations.
The arrival of new sporting director Dan Ashworth has sparked a flurry of activity at St James’ Park, with midfielder Isaac Hayden joining Norwich on a season-long loan deal with a performance-related obligation to buy on Tuesday, the first of a series of expected departures to make way for newcomers.
Speaking to Norwich’s official website, Hayden said: “I am absolutely delighted. This is a fantastic club. Everything is well run, it has got a good infrastructure and the stadium and the fan base is great.
“I am here to try to help the team get back to the Premier League. The facilities at the training ground are great and changed significantly from when I have visited before. I’ve also looked at our squad and I want to add to that and help get us promoted straight away.
“The head coach was a big factor for me. He called me straight away and saw that I was out of the picture at Newcastle. I had spoken to him a few times before and he always struck me as somebody who was trying to do the right things and doing things very well at football clubs.”
