The summer window started slowly for Newcastle United, with their first signing, Joe Willock, only joining the club late last week.
Willock, who spent the end of last season on-loan at St James’s Park, admitted the decision to join Newcastle was, in the end, “very easy”.
“It was a big step for me in my career to leave my boyhood club and move away from my comfort zone.
"The Newcastle fans, team and manager made it easier to make the decision.
"The love I have for Newcastle is immense, so it made the decision very easy for me towards the end.”
Willock continued: "I had the option to stay (at Arsenal) or look at other avenues to better my career and I chose the second option.
"Coming back to Newcastle was always at the top of my list.
“When I decided to leave Arsenal, there was only one place I was going to go and it was going to be Newcastle.”
He added: “For me, it was all about the feeling I got when I played in front of the fans and the feeling when I stepped out at St James’s Park.”
Willock’s transfer has been a summer-long saga and, naturally, he wasn't the only player linked with a move to Tyneside.
Here, we look at all the players linked with Newcastle United this summer and rate each reported rumour:
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9. Salomón Rondón - Rumour Rating 3/10
Much like Papiss Cissé, when it was announced Rondón was to depart Dalian Pro, fans couldn’t resist getting excited about the potential return of the Venezuelan striker. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images) Photo: Alex Broadway
10. Andros Townsend - Rumour Rating 5/10
Townsend left Crystal Palace in July and was linked with a return to St James’s Park before reuniting with Rafa Benitez at Everton. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Photo: Stu Forster
11. Axel Tuanzebe - Rumour Rating 10/10
Before Tuanzebe’s move to Villa Park, Newcastle were very interested in a season-long loan deal for centre-back but they couldn’t beat Aston Villa to his signature. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) Photo: Nathan Stirk
12. Jetro Willems - Rumour Rating 4/10
Willems had a great spell on Tyneside but his unfortunate injury record means even on a free transfer, the left-back looks like being too risky for United to sign. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) Photo: Ian MacNicol