Newcastle to resume interest in Champions League star while summer target signs new deal

Newcastle and West Ham played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the London Stadium but were denied all three points after a late strike for Mohammed Kudus.

Eddie Howe described his side’s performance as a “slight hangover from midweek” after their excellent 4-1 victory over PSG. However, there will still be plenty of positives to take for Howe’s men, who are now unbeaten in their last eight visits to the capital, which is a new record in league history for The Magpies.

The international break comes at a time when the squad has been hugely stretched by injuries and the likes of Sven Botman, Joelinton and Joe Willock will all hope to edge closer to match fitness.

The upcoming winter window presents a key opportunity for Howe to add further talent to his team as they aim to compete on all fronts in 2024. With that in mind we have lined up all of the latest transfer stories surrounding St James’ Park..

Newcastle prepare audacious move for Euro 2020 winner

Newcastle United’s pursuit of Italian international Nicolo Barella was one which dominated the headlines in the early part of the summer with Sky Sports reporting that Eddie Howe’s side were in talks with Inter Milan over a £50m move.

Such a transfer failed to materialise andtThe Toon quickly moved for fellow Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, who arrived from AC Milan. But reports from Spanish outlet Fichajes claim that Newcastle will make further moves to sign Barella between now and next summer and the outlet adds that the club see him as “the perfect complement” for Bruno Guimaraes and Tonali in the starting lineup.

Newcastle have a history of pursuing transfer targets over a 12 month period as we have seen in recent windows with the arrivals of Sven Botman, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon.  But Inter are keen to keep hold of their midfield star and are desperate to extend his existing deal, according to reports from Newcastle World.

Newcastle United target signs long term contract with EFL side

Another long-term midfield target who has been on Howe’s radar since last summer is Argentina midfielder Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz arrived at Southampton from Racing Club in January for a fee of around £12m which also includes a 15% sell-on clause.

The 20-year-old impressed in both of his side’s semi-final appearances against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup despite being on the losing team. He was also a shining light for the Saints in the last six months, despite their relegation to the Championship and was dubbed as an up and coming talent who could benefit Newcastle’s team.

Newcastle, AC Milan and Benfica all made enquiries for the prospect in the summer but were deterred by the £30m asking price set by Russell Martin’s side. The Toon Army are set to face further hurdles to sign the player in future windows as he has signed an extension to his existing Saints contract which takes him until the summer of 2028.

Alcaraz told Hampshire Live: “I’ve become very fond of the people of Southampton because, from the day that I arrived, they showed me that they wanted me here. I’m very happy because they show me that they care and that I’m important for the team, and that makes me want to play even more.”