Newcastle’s summer transfer activity has not got underway yet, that is if there will be any at all.
Club owner Mike Ashley is still in the process of selling United to the Middle-East company called the Bin Zayed Group. Although the Sun has reported the deal is progressing well, the sale, at this point, could still collapse. There has been no official update from the club, leaving everyone in a state of limbo. The Sun’s report also suggested the businessmen believe the takeover will be completed by the end of the month.
If the deal is delayed or falls through, it may not give the club a lot of time to recruit players. If the purchase is completed, but there is not much time, the club may have to wait until January and then attempt to buy players. But either way, it could leave Newcastle with very little time to address the squad this summer.
The summer Deadline Day for the Premier League is August 8th. That could leave the club searching for players available on loan or ones that would cost very little.
Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been a long-term target for the Magpies, with the club trying to sign him on more than one occasion. Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl appears to be trying to bring the age of his team down, with recent reports in the Telegraph and Tuttomercatoweb claiming he is after 22-year-old Che Adams and 23-year-old Francois Kamano.
Austin is valued at £7.2 million on the website Transfermarkt. The 29-year-old did not have a great season in front of goal last term – only managing to score twice in 25 league games. It would not be a big surprise if Hasenhuttl is prepared to allow the Englishman to leave St Mary’s. The lack of goals was a big problem for Southampton last season, with the south coast side only scoring 45 times, which saw them ranked 15th out of all 20 Premier League teams.
Newcastle’s attack was spearheaded by Salomon Rondon last season, but he was only on loan and has returned to West Brom. Part of that loan deal involved a swap and saw Dwight Gayle move to the Hawthorns for the season, but the Chronicle has reported he could now be heading to Stoke. That will leave a void in the Newcastle attack, and the club’s answer could be Austin.
But Newcastle will need a striker who can score more than two goals if we are to progress further up the table, or if we are fighting relegation next season.