7 players Newcastle could sign in the summer after incredible January spree

Newcastle United were unsurprisingly one of the busiest Premier League clubs and biggest spenders in the January transfer window, adding no fewer than five new signings to their squad.

Eddie Howe will be pleased with the business he was able to finalise in the winter market, especially their coup to sign Lyon’s highly-rated midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazilian arrived in a blockbuster £33million deal, securing his status as the second-most expensive player in the club’s history.

He followed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood through the door, with 31-year-old Trippier arriving in a £12m deal from Atletico Madrid and Wood signing for around £20m from Burnley.

Defender Dan Burn and Matt Targett were other deadline-day additions, sealing moves from Premier League rivals Brighton and Aston Villa respectively.

That took Howe's spending to around £80m, but he will be keen on making more additions to his squad, as the Saudi-based Public Investment Fund flaunt their incredible wealth.

So, who else could be unveiled as a new Magpies signing this summer? Daily Star Sport looks at seven potential signings…

Jesse Lingard

Manchester United may have blocked Jesse Lingard from a loan switch in the January transfer window, but the Premier League giants are powerless to prevent the attacker from leaving this summer.

The 29-year-old is set to depart on a free transfer after rejecting a new contract to stay at Old Trafford, which is no surprise given he has not started a league game for the club since January 2020.

The winger was left frustrated with the Red Devils’ decision to deny him a temporary switch, but he is able to seal a pre-contract agreement ahead of a summer switch.

West Ham could throw a spanner in the works should they, as expected, seek to sign Lingard for a fourth time after a successful loan spell and two failed attempts to negotiate a permanent deal.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Will Newcastle's January transfer signings keep them in the Premier League? Comment below.


Sven Botman

Lille were adamant that any Newcastle bid in January was not going to be enough to convince them to sell highly-rated centre-back Sven Botman.

The Dutchman has excelled in France since arriving for £8m from Jong Ajax, the Eredivisie champions’ ‘B’ team, back in 2020.

The 22-year-old is thought to be keen on a move to the Premier League and in light of speculation suggesting the Magpies had offered £50m for his services, he admitted moves to Newcastle and AC Milan would interest him.

“Everyone says about Newcastle – it's all about money. But it's a very nice project, if you look at where Man City and PSG started,” Botman said to Ziggo Sport.

“I think it would be very nice to be part of that, but Milan is a beautiful club.”

Duvan Zapata

Newcastle flirted with the possibility of bringing Serie A goal machine Duvan Zapata to the Premier League but Atalanta’s demands proved to be too steep in the end.

The Colombia international boasts an impressive goalscoring record in Italy and has bagged 12 goals in 25 appearances for the Orobici this season.

But at 30 years of age, Newcastle could not justify paying an £8m loan fee with a view to a £34m deal. Instead, his deal expires at the end of next season, giving Howe and director Amanda Staveley the chance to negotiate from a position of strength.

The striker is understood to be keen to try out English football and West Ham failed with a late move in January, so there could be competition for his signature once again when the window reopens on July 1.

Hugo Ekitike

The Reims striker made the difficult decision to snub Newcastle’s offer on deadline day and stay with the Ligue 1 outfit until the end of the season.

It is understood the clubs had agreed a deal worth £20m for the 19-year-old striker, before Ekitike cited a lack of time to properly consider the transfer, in what would be a big move in his career.

There are concerns that the highly-rated Frenchman is simply holding out for a bigger move, with Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain joining the race for his signature.

But there was interest from all sides in doing a deal before negotiations collapsed. Providing they can strike a similar deal, the Toon will be holding out hope of finishing what they started in the summer to lock down one of Europe’s budding talents.

Ryan Yates

While the club are making ambitious plans to sign players who can lift them up the table, there are contingency lists in place should the club fall back into the Championship.

The Mirror report Newcastle scouts have been monitoring Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates, 24, with a view to recruiting the midfielder for a cut-price fee.

Yates’ current deal expires in June 2023 and Newcastle will fancy their chances of convincing him to join them this summer after three goals in 26 appearances this season.

Forest would be reluctant to lose one of their star performers, but his contract situation may force Steve Cooper’s side to cash in while they still can.

Ross Barkley

For a brief spell in November, it appeared Ross Barkley had revived his Chelsea career. Unfortunately for the midfielder, Thomas Tuchel has confined the 28-year-old to the bench again, leaving him with a decision to make over his future.

Barkley is unquestionably talented, although injuries have taken their toll on the former Everton star. He would add some quality on the ball to a Newcastle midfield severely lacking an expert passer.

Chelsea may have insisted on keeping Barkley in January amid fears over losing players to Covid, but the Merseyside-born attacking midfielder is way down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

If Newcastle were to launch a bid in the region of £10m, it may force the Blues to seriously consider flogging him to fund moves elsewhere.

Bernd Leno

If Howe has any doubts over the suitability of Martin Dubravka or Karl Darlow, snapping up Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno on a free transfer may be a wise move.

The 29-year-old lost his place as Mikel Arteta’s number one choice to Aaron Ramsdale and has been benched ever since, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

The Gunners have already replaced him with USA international Matt Turner, who will join in July, giving Leno the green light to negotiate a move away from the Emirates.

A return to the German Bundesliga has been mooted, but Leno may welcome the chance to become Newcastle’s leading shot stopper next season if they stay in the top flight.

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