Ahead of what could be a big summer, PIF have reportedly joined the race to sign an in-demand Premier League midfielder who scored in a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United this season.
Newcastle eyeing impressive summer
With Champions League football in their grasp, Newcastle could be back to flexing their financial muscles for the first time in two transfer windows this summer. PSR constraints have forced the Magpies to take a step back in the last year or so but it remains to be seen whether those same obstacles are in place this time around.
Of course, without them, Newcastle’s spending could take Eddie Howe’s side to another level given PIF’s position among football’s richest owners. Just who arrives with that potential spending power in mind remains to be seen, but that hasn’t stopped the rumours from coming thick and fast.
Names such as Liam Delap and Ademola Lookman have both found themselves in the headlines in recent weeks, with Newcastle among the sides interested in securing their services. There’s no doubt that both players would add that extra injection of quality in Newcastle’s squad as Howe seeks the depth he’s desperately lacked in recent times.
What is certain is that the Newcastle boss deserves to be backed this summer if it is possible. Howe has not only ended the club’s long wait for a trophy this season, but he also has them sat as high as third and on course for Champions League qualification all without significant arrivals in the last year.
With four games to go, the former Bournemouth boss recently had his say on the crucial battle for European football, telling reporters: “It will go down to the wire. The important thing today was that we bounced back from last week. We have been very consistent, and now we have four huge games.”
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Of course, he will need no reminder over the impact that Champions League football would have on Newcastle’s transfer business, especially in pursuit of one particular midfielder.
Newcastle join James McAtee race
According to Esteemed Kompany, PIF have now joined the race to sign James McAtee for Newcastle this summer, standing alongside the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund in a European tug-of-war for his signature. With just one year left on his Manchester City deal too, the academy graduate will reportedly be available for just €30m (£26m) in the coming months.
Newcastle should, of course, already know all about McAtee’s quality after he scored in a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle for City earlier this season in a moment that showed only a glimpse of his full potential.
Pep Guardiola hasn’t shied away from praising the 22-year-old this season, either. The Spaniard told reporters after McAtee’s hat-trick against Salford in the FA Cup: “I am so happy for him, he is a special player.
“A hat trick is not easy. He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”