Newcastle transfers state of play: Executive meetings…

Newcastle transfers state of play: Executive meetings take place with three active enquiries ongoing

Newcastle United are weighing up a number of options as they try to add a new face to their team sheet for the opening game of the season against Nottingham Forest.

Eddie Howe stated that he would have liked to have secured a new attacking player by now but admitted over the weekend there was no internal frustrations on transfers. Having been backed with £140million in 2022 so far Howe has no doubts the club's Saudi-based owners are on the same page as him.

The issues on transfers have been down to outside influences beyond Newcastle's control with price hikes and agent demands hindering certain deals. Newcastle made it clear from the get go that they would not get swept away with crazy prices.

In a football filled weekend on the field, with games against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao at St James' Park, there was no shortage of action off the hallowed turf either. Newcastle held summit meetings down the executive corridors of the stadium with Amanda Staveley, Dan Ashworth and incoming CEO Darren Eales all present.

There has been nothing but backing for Howe and his backroom team as they look to make the breakthrough on transfers. And that has been backed up with active proceedings on Leicester City's James Maddison, Chelsea's Timo Werner and Burnley's Maxwell Cornet.

Maddison's chances of joining Newcastle were hit by Leicester's demands of £60million for the England man. While a loan deal with Chelsea for Werner will boil down to agreeing a compromise on the player's £270,000 per week wage packet, with Newcastle unwilling to break their wage structure.

The Cornet situation with Burnley is also fluid with a £17million clause in his contract mooted but the former team-mate of Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon just one of the choices for Howe and co. Howe had said last week on transfers: "We are now going into an area where we are still looking.

"We want to improve the squad. "We are really pleased with what we have done but we know we have got more to do. But it has got to be the right one, in the right position. So it is not simple."

He stated on Friday night that the odds on getting a player in time for the game with Forest were against the Magpies but also said: "Never say never." Whatever happens in the last four weeks of the window, Newcastle are leaving no stone unturned.

Newcastle transfers state of play: Executive meetings take place with three active enquiries ongoing

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