Newcastle put Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho on list of three priority transfer targets

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer discusses the club takeover

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Newcastle are lining up the signing of Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho, according to reports. And the Brazil international isn’t the only player on their radar. The Toon are now one of the richest clubs in world football, meaning they have the finances to sign anybody they want.

Newcastle fans were delirious on Thursday when it was announced the Mike Ashley era was over.

They’re now under the rule of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salmanm who has a net worth of £13billion individually.

However, given this takeover was done through a Saudi consortium, it’s believed Newcastle now have £320b to their name.

And Estadio Deportivo have claimed Newcastle have three priority targets at the current moment in time.

One is Coutinho, who has struggled at Barcelona ever since joining from Liverpool back in the January transfer window of 2018.

The Samba star was, at one point, one of the best players in the world.

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But he’s failed to kick on at Barcelona and, even though he’s now getting more action following the departure of Lionel Messi, the club are open to cutting him loose.

Coutinho was a huge hit on these shores with Liverpool and came close to firing them to title glory back in 2014.

He was linked with Leicester back in the summer but the Foxes, ultimately, opted to go after alternative targets instead.

The publication states Newcastle are also interested in Paris Saint-Germain pair Mauro Icardi and Keylor Navas, too.

Icardi doesn’t get much of a look-in these days and, consequently, could be sold by the Ligue 1 giants.

He’d bring a potency to the Newcastle attack they’ve missed ever since the days where Alan Shearer graced St James’ Park.

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And Navas would be a good asset to have, with the goalkeeper shining for PSG ever since his move from Real Madrid.

Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley has insisted they’re capable of signing the best players, while also pledging to improve their training ground.

“We are in the market to compete for world-class players,” she said in an interview with The Sun.

“We have great ambitions — I hope it’s going to be a game changer for Newcastle United.

“But if you don’t put the infrastructure around that world-class player and you don’t have a team that can play with him, you’ll get nowhere.”

She added: “The training ground is really awful and needs a huge amount of investment.

“Luckily, that is one area we are not restricted by Financial Fair Play.

“There is no point in having fantastic players if there is nowhere for them to train.

“To get to the top of the Premier League you need a strong foundation, not just great players. They need to be robust and we need to build them.

“We also want to invest in St James’ Park — it needs a little bit more love.”

And Staveley also admitted she’d fallen in love with Newcastle fans already.

She added: “They’re unique. Why? They’re passionate, they’ve got heart and they’re brave — and I love people who are brave and honest.

“That’s how I built my business, being passionate and not giving up.

“And that is definitely how I want the team to play.

“When doing the deal, at fans’ forums, I was always amazed and so impressed with them. I am a Northerner, a local girl, so I appreciate what it means.

“We already have some world-class players but we want to make sure they have the support around them.

“They should not be 19th and we need to challenge that straight away.”

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