Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes & Alexander Isak stance after already agreeing first summer transfer

Newcastle United are pushing to secure European football for a second successive season ahead of an important summer on the transfer front.

The Magpies have several players out of contract and are trying to adhere to the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules while progressing on the pitch. Eddie Howe’s side currently sit sixth heading into the final six matches of the season.

United are 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth with sixth place currently enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League. Should the FA Cup winners finish in the top six, the Conference League place will drop to seventh and sixth will be a Europa League place.

Newcastle finished fourth last season but have been hit with a series of issues and injury problems throughout the current campaign as they look to end it on a high.

After that, there are some big decisions to make as the club heads into its first transfer window without Dan Ashworth in place as sporting director since January 2022.

Here, we answer some key questions heading into the summer transfer window...

Who will take charge of Newcastle United’s summer transfer business without Dan Ashworth?

Newcastle are at an advanced stage in their search for a new sporting director with interviews set to take place in the coming weeks. But the club have already started preparations for the summer transfer window with head of recruitment Steve Nickson set to lead the summer search for talent alongside Andy Howe.

Head coach Eddie Howe will also play a key role as expected.

What arrivals can we expect at Newcastle United this summer?

You can your eyes if you like but Newcastle have technically already secured their first summer signing with Lewis Hall’s loan deal set to become permanent for £28million from Chelsea. Newcastle had a performance-related obligation to buy clause in Hall’s loan that required the club to finish 14th or higher in the Premier League this season.

It was always likely to happen but was finally guaranteed with a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Serious injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles have stressed the need for added centre-back cover this summer with AFC Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly a long-term target and available on a free transfer having worked with Howe previously.

Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo is also being monitored with his contract at Craven Cottage set to expire. Free transfers and cut-price deals are something the club must consider this summer in order to bolster their squad while remaining compliant with PSR.

Nottingham Forest trio Neco Williams, Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White are also being looked at. Forest’s breaching of PSR could force them to sell some of their biggest assets or risk facing further charges.

There is also plenty of excitement surrounding Yankuba Minteh after his promising loan spell at Feyenoord. The 19-year-old joined Newcastle from Odense last summer but hasn’t been seen in action for the club as he was quickly loaned out to Feyenoord.

The Dutch side are keen on keeping the Gambian international but he will be assessed at Newcastle first before any further transfer decisions are made.

Which players could leave Newcastle United this summer?

Starting with the obvious, Newcastle have six senior players out of contract this summer. Loris Karius has openly admitted to looking for a new club as he eyes a move to Italy with his contract at Newcastle up in June.

Kell Watts and Jeff Hendrick are currently out on loan at Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. Their contracts at Newcastle expire in the summer with both set to leave.

Wigan have an option to sign Watts permanently but the defender has not played for the club since December. Sheffield Wednesday’s request to cut Hendrick’s loan short in January was turned down by Newcastle. He was subsequently left out of Wednesday’s Championship squad before being reinstated last month.

Paul Dummett, Mark Gillespie and Matt Ritchie also have contracts which expire in June with no guarantee of a new deal.

As far as first-team regulars are concerned, Newcastle have several key players who are out of contract next summer that they will not want to risk losing for nothing.

Kieran Trippier turns 34 in September and was subject to a transfer bid from Bayern Munich in January. His contract at Newcastle expires in June 2025 and a summer exit can’t be completely ruled out with Tino Livramento already a primed replacement in the starting line-up.

Callum Wilson was another subject to transfer interest in January and is a player the club could look to cash in on with a year remaining on his contract.

Miguel Almiron also received serious interest from Saudi Arabia in January which ultimately failed to materialise. The Pro League interest is likely to resurface once again this summer.

The club would also listen to offers for Matt Targett while Sean Longstaff is another who would have just 12 months left on his contract by the time the transfer window opens.

What about Bruno Guimaraes & Alexander Isak?

You can’t guarantee anything in football but Newcastle’s plan is to continue building a squad around Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak with the plan of keeping hold of them. Both players have contracts that run until June 2028 though Guimaraes’ £100million release clause would render Newcastle powerless should a club trigger it.

Both Isak and Guimaraes claim to be happy in the North East. Guimaraes is also set to purchase a new £4million house in the area, further suggesting his commitment.

Several are interested in the duo, whose respective values have doubled since they arrived on Tyneside in 2022.

While every player has a price, Newcastle plan to stand firm should any transfer approaches come in.