Five realistic Newcastle transfer targets

Who could Magpies sign when takeover is complete?

Newcastle’s imminent takeover has propelled their supportersinto dreamland.

While talks remain ongoing and nothing is official yet, manyof their fans are already living out their Football Manager fantasies, withtransfer speculation already in full flow as a Saudi-led consortium look set tobuy the club.

It remains unclear when football will resume and how thetransfer window will be affected, but that hasn’t stopped Philippe Coutinho,Edinson Cavani and even Kylian Mbappe being linked with a switch to St James’Park.

But sadly, reality is a crueller mistress than a video game.

And while money certainly talks, for the majority of footballersit’s about much more than that.

Even without considering the implications of Financial FairPlay, convincing the likes of Mbappe and Coutinho to swap league titles andChampions League football to join a team currently 13th in the Premier Leaguetable would be a tough sell, regardless of the potential wages on offer.

So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at some of the morerealistic players Newcastle could target.

Jack Grealish

After a stunning season back in the Premier League, Grealishis expected to be highly sought after when the transfer window reopens,particularly if Aston Villa are relegated.

Manchester United and Tottenham have been linked in the pastand they may well renew their interest. But with Grealish on the verge of anEngland call-up, he’s at a time in his career where he needs to continueplaying every single week, which will not be guaranteed at one of the big boys.

As the joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League thisseason, Newcastle are crying out for some creativity and with seven goals andsix assists in a struggling Villa side, Grealish seems like the ideal candidateto improve their end product.

Michy Batshuayi

Batshuayi has never been really given a fair chance atChelsea and with Frank Lampard not keen, the Belgian desperately needs a freshstart to reignite his career.

Newcastle’s woes in front of goal have mainly been down tothe misfiring Joelinton, who has flattered to deceive and has scored just oncein the league since a record £40 million switch from Hoffenheim last summer.

One thing Batshuayi offers is goals and, as he proved onloan at Crystal Palace last season, he has the potential to be one of the deadlieststrikers outside the top six when given a regular run in the team.

Nemanja Matic

Rewind a couple of seasons and Nemanja Matic was among themost feared defensive midfielders in the Premier League. He may have stagnatedslightly at Old Trafford but his presence in the middle of the park is exactlywhat the Magpies need.

Newcastle have limited options in midfield and Matic wouldbe a huge upgrade on Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden and Matt Longstaff.

The Serbian brings a wealth of experience, having won twoPremier League titles at Chelsea, and his formidable defensive mindset wouldperfectly complement the wealth of creativity that will inevitably be broughtinto the squad.

Todd Cantwell

In a similar vein to Grealish, Cantwell will be a hotcommodity and he’ll be even more attainable should Norwich go down.

The England under-21 international has shone for theCanaries despite them being rock bottom of the league and he’s attractedinterest from table-toppers Liverpool.

But with the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah ahead ofhim in the pecking order if he were to make the switch to Anfield, a lack offirst-team football could harm his development and a move to Newcastle wouldbenefit both parties.

Nathan Ake

Newcastle need a centre-back and the latest rumours suggestinterest in Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

It would likely take a bid to rival the world record fee ManchesterUnited splashed out on Harry Maguire to tempt the Serie A side to sell and wecan only see Koulibaly moving to a top European club if he did move on.

One alternative could be Ake, who has been pivotal forBournemouth in recent seasons. The Dutchman has been linked with a return toChelsea but after failing to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, it may betoo much of a step up for now and a switch to Newcastle may be more realistic.

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