Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe.Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe.

Newcastle United’s £250m line-up to face Nottingham Forest – if transfer rumours are true

Newcastle United will start their 2022-23 Premier League season at home to Nottingham Forest on August 6 – but how will Eddie Howe’s side line-up on the opening day?

The summer transfer window has been open for over a fortnight and Newcastle have already made two major signings and been linked with countless more.

They have already secured the permanent signing of Matt Targett for a total of £15million following his successful loan spell from Aston Villa last season and England international goalkeeper Nick Pope from Burnley for £10million.

Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike have been continually linked with moves to Tyneside from France this transfer window but the Magpies are yet to reach a deal.

Lille and Newcastle are currently at an impasse regarding a transfer fee for Botman but hope remains that the 22-year-old will be a Newcastle player in time for the start of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Meanwhile, United are struggling to agree terms with Ekitike’s agent and could still be forced to walk away from a deal.

Taking all this into account, we have looked at some of the more practical Newcastle transfer rumours and put together a hypothetical line-up for the opening day of the season providing Howe gets all of his business done in time.

If reported and rumoured transfer fees are to be believed, this hypothetical starting line-up for Newcastle would cost in the region of £250million while the bench would be an additional £150million.