Howe driving Newcastle deal to sign £73m star

Newcastle United are being sucked into another nightmarish summer transfer window, and Eddie Howe must feel powerless to prevent the mounting rumours lingering over his star players.

In recent weeks, Sandro Tonali has been the subject of a succession of bids from Tottenham Hotspur – with even more interest anticipated from Arsenal and Manchester City.

Sadly, it doesn’t end there. Anthony Gordon has already been sold to Barcelona for £69m, yet to be replaced after Liverpool stole in and spirited away with Toon-bound Victor Munoz, and now, Bruno Guimaraes is mooted to be a top target for Arsenal.

The Premier League champions are lurking like sharks above a school of fish, but Newcastle may yet escape with their captain under Howe’s fin.

Newcastle in talks to sign new midfielder

Newcastle are certainly not riding the crest of a wave this summer, but as correspondent Luke Edwards puts it, “The Isak saga was the biggest transfer story for years and people want to recreate that drama.”

Edwards is adamant that the Magpies are confident in keeping Guimaraes, 29, at St. James’ Park, even tying him down to a new deal, something he ostensibly wants.

But it’s only June, and with Tonali also rumoured to have played his last for the Tynesiders, Howe and Newcastle technical director Ross Wilson but counter the blows and make this a successful transfer window.

After all, if we are realistic, it is more than plausible that one of Guimaraes or Tonali will leave Tyneside by the end of the window, if not both of them.

As per Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Newcastle are now considering a blockbuster move for Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha, who is starring for Germany at the World Cup.

Howe is understood to be a big fan, coming close to signing him in 2023 before choosing Tonali instead. That previous interest could play into the Magpies’ favour here, with the groundwork already laid.

This won’t be an easy one to pull off. Manchester United also have a vested interest in the 25-year-old, and he has a lofty €85m (about £73m) buyout clause in his contract. If Dortmund fail to ease their financial demands, it might be tough to land a midfielder who could end up improving on Tonali in the Toon midfield.

Why Nmecha can be a Tonali upgrade at Newcastle

Nmecha has been a superstar for Germany over the past couple of weeks, dismantling Curacao in the opener and then putting in an assured display against Ivory Coast as his nation secured a priceless second victory to seal a first-place finish. It was Nmecha’s through ball that allowed Denis Undav to net a last-gasp winner.

There are negative connotations around signing emergent talents who have announced themselves at the World Cup, but Nmecha is the real deal, emerging as the new Jude Bellingham in the Dortmund midfield.

Indeed, Nmecha is a game-changer in an attacking sense, but he is also dynamic and determined when fighting to win the ball back. He protects his midfield, and he may even establish himself as a Tonali upgrade at Newcastle, offering more of a punch in a midfield that needs to rediscover its physicality and spirit next season.

A more active and mobile midfielder, Nmecha indeed also offers more by way of goals and assists than Tonali. The Italian maestro is elegant and intelligent, but there is a sense that Nmecha could freshen up the ranks.

Tonali is one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League; there is a reason that many of the division’s heavyweights want to sign him, after all.

But Howe’s project cannot afford any stragglers right now, and Tonali seems intent on searching for pastures new. Nmecha is on the rise, and he would bring a hunger and multi-functionality to Newcastle’s midfield that could set them on their way to return to the ascendancy.

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has described his protege as a “world-class” player. The world may not know that yet, but Newcastle appear to have an inkling, and they would score a big hit by signing this rising superstar.