Newcastle eye four key signings from 16 man shortlist

Eddie Howe's side have ambitions to strengthen even more

The Magpies are in contention to finish in the top four and after spending big this season, plan to do so again.

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle's wealthy owners are planning to gift a healthy budget to Eddie Howe after initially preparing to give him a budget of £20m topped up by player sales.

There were concerns over the Magpies potentially breaking Financial Fair Play rules having spent £250m on players across the last three transfer windows while only one first team player - Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest - has left the club.

But after talks between the hierarchy, director of football Dan Ashworth and Howe, the general consensus is now that they want to strike while the iron is hot and make the most of their rapid rise in the last 18 months.

As a result they are now looking at bringing in four players that will be able to challenge for a place in the starting XI straightaway with bids for players made on a case-by-case basis.

They hope to bring some of the brightest stars in football - with or without Champions League football - to St James' Park and have their eye on a plethora of targets.

Names such as James Maddison, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, Ivan Toney, Kaoru Mitoma, Kavlin Phillips, Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice being discussed, along with the likes of Scott McTominay, Harvey Barnes and Kieran Tierney are all possible options.

Even bigger targets such as Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga, Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby and Napoli pair Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are also admired.

Despite having lofty ambitions, the Magpies are aware that players such as Rice would be harder to obtain.

Newcastle face fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in a game that could well determine what level of European football they will be playing next season.

Related links:

• Liverpool linked with move for Jude Bellingham alternative
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s agent reveals his client’s dream move
• Kylian Mbappé reveals the one Serie A club he would sign for