Four stunning signings Newcastle could still make this summer - including Brentford & Marseille gems

This hasn’t been the best of summers for Newcastle fans, even if the weather up on Tyneside has been unusually pleasant – their team has been struggling in the transfer market, missing out on a number of key targets and taking their time to sign the players they need to compete in the Champions League in the coming season.

James Trafford and Hugo Ekitike both disappeared over the horizon and while Eddie Howe will at least be able to welcome Aaron Ramsdale and Anthony Elanga to pre-season training, further reinforcements are plainly required, especially if Alexander Isak gets his wish to move to Liverpool.

We’ve been keeping an eye on all the latest rumours and news reports surrounding Newcastle’s transfer business over recent weeks, and the good news is that fresh faces are on the way – but who is on their way to St. James’ Park over the last four weeks of the transfer window?

Benjamin Šeško

With Ekitike off to Anfield and Isak potentially following, a centre-forward has become Newcastle’s first priority and their latest primary target is 22-year-old Slovenian striker Šeško – and they’ll sincerely hope not to get gazumped once again, with Manchester United also alleged to be interested.

The good news is that United may need to sell some players before they can buy, a process which may give Newcastle a window of opportunity to seal a deal before Ineos can insert themselves into the process, but the bad news is that some reports suggest that the RB Leipzig forward would prefer a move to United, and may even be willing to stay in the Bundesliga for a year if Newcastle’s offer isn’t right.

Newcastle are reportedly trying to negotiate Leipzig down from their €80m (£69.2m) asking price, but may not want to haggle too hard in case United enter the fray in earnest. Should they miss out on yet another player, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson is an option, while it’s also possible that Newcastle attempt to re-sign former striker Aleksandar Mitrović. The 30-year-old seems set to leave Al-Hilal this summer.

Yoane Wissa

A prospective deal for Brentford forward Wissa is quite separate from negotiations for Šeško, and Newcastle hope to sign them both, with the versatile French forward providing an option on the wings as well as up front. Progress on a deal has not, however, been especially rapid.

Newcastle are said to value Wissa at around £30m but Brentford are less than keen to sell having already lost Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United. As a result, Keith Andrews’ side are rebuffing Newcastle’s overtures and hopes of a transfer may hinge on the extent to which Wissa, who has just one year left on his contract, is willing to pressure his current employers to allow him to leave.

The 28-year-old already left a training camp in Portugal earlier in the week as he worked to force a move, and has reportedly threatened not to play for the Bees again. That suggests that a move is more likely than not, but with other teams interested there is no guarantee that Newcastle would be his final destination. With the Magpies able to offer Champions League football, however, they remain the favourites.

Leonardo Balerdi

In many ways, Balerdi’s name here serves as a placeholder – Newcastle are certainly planning to sign a centre-half to bolster their defensive ranks, but with several players linked it’s tricky to tell who their first choice is right now.

They would have loved to sign Marc Guéhi and may yet try again having missed out on him last summer, but the Crystal Palace defender supposedly has his heart set on Liverpool (them again) while Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring him as well. A switch to St. James’ Park seems relatively unlikely at the time of writing.

That puts Marseille defender Balerdi among the favourites, although stories which linked him with a move for a fee in the region of £30m appear to have cooled slightly since early July. Atalanta’s prodigiously-talented Giorgio Scalvini is another option, but the Italian’s injury history is giving Newcastle pause for thought. Another alleged target, Nico Schlotterbeck, is expected to sign a new contract with Borussia Dortmund.

Mahamadou Doumbia

Although not as great of a priority as a centre-back and a forward, Newcastle are also in the market for an extra central midfielder following the departure of Sean Longstaff. Several names have been suggested, although reports from Spain which put Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher in the frame seem increasingly likely to have been wide of the mark.

Royal Antwerp’s Doumbia is, according to One Football, an option. The 21-year-old Mali international enjoyed an impressive season in Belgium and has a €20m (£17.3m) release clause in his contract – he would offer a developmental depth option who could rotate with the more established midfielders currently on the books.

Fiorentina’s Amir Richardson is another name that has cropped up, and there are surely other names on the list, but a relative lack of strong rumours in this departments suggests that it’s at the bottom of the to-do list for now. Expect more movement once a striker has been signed.