Newcastle United close in on second transfer breakthrough

Matt Targett yesterday made a flying visit to Tyneside to join Newcastle United on a permanent deal.

And the move, which followed a successful half-season loan, got the club off to a flyer ahead of the formal opening of the summer transfer window tomorrow.

Targett, told by head coach Eddie Howe that the club wanted to sign him after the final game of the season against Burnley at Turf Moor, had signed for the club after taking a break in Ibiza with his partner.

The deal was straightforward in that there was already an £15million agreement in place with Aston Villa, the 26-year-old left-back’s parent club.

One Howe and Targett had made their minds up, it was formality.

The question now is who will be the next player to jet into Newcastle.

Howe, we know, is a manager who likes to get the bulk of his transfer business done early, though, for many reasons, it’s not always possible to get players in before the start of pre-season training.

United’s players return on July 1, and the club has a window to push through more business.

The work on Targett had mostly been done in January, and the club has already done a lot of work on another target – Sven Botman.

Botman was keen to join Newcastle in the last window, but the club couldn’t agree a fee with Lille.

Discussions are understood to have restarted over a £30million move for the 22-year-old, who is also a target for AC Milan.

“Talks are underway now,” said Botman earlier this month. “I won't go into all of that, but it's going well. I do hope that the transfer for the new season is completed. Preferably also for the pre-season.

"Those clubs (Newcastle and Milan) are interested, yes. I can't and won't say much more about it. What I want is to take a nice step towards a nice competition.”

There’s optimism at St James’s Park that a deal for Botman can finally be concluded.

A move for Stade de Reims striker Hugo Ekitike – who was also a January target – is also on the agenda.

Dwight Gayle, reportedly in talks with Middlesbrough, will move on this summer, and Howe needs another player to compete with Callum Wilson and Chris Wood up front.

Ekitike, 19, didn’t want to leave his club in the last window, but he is available this summer. Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot: “Hugo will be allowed to go – and he’s probably going to leave.”

The club’s efforts in the market will be led by newly-appointed sporting director Dan Ashworth, who has had a series of meetings since arriving at the club at the start of the week.

“We’re about to start a transfer window, so there will be a lot of things on the to-do list with players in and out, things Eddie will want to do for the first-team squad,” said Ashworth.

As Ashworth touched on, players also need to be moved out, and Isaac Hayden has already joined Norwich City on loan. More will follow him out of the club.

As far as incomings, Howe would like to see more ahead of the start of pre-season training – and Botman could be next through the doors.