Newcastle United have struggled to deliver on their aims for the January transfer window in the weeks since confirming the early arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood. The Magpies are desperately trying to add reinforcements ahead of Monday’s deadline in order to boost their hopes of securing Premier League survival between now and the end of the season.
They are close to finalising a deal to land Lyon playmaker Bruno Guimaraes, who is reportedly set to undergo a medical in South America over the coming days.
However, Newcastle have failed to land several of their other main targets for the mid-season market, leaving them with plenty of extra work to do in the remaining hours of the window.
The Magpies were unable to reach an agreement with Sevilla over a move for Diego Carlos earlier this month, while their hopes of snapping up Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United appear to be fading fast.
The Red Devils are said to be demanding a loan fee of £6million in addition to a £12m bonus if Newcastle manage to stay up, leaving the prospect of a deal hanging in the balance.
However, the Tyneside outfit have no shortage of cash that could be used to target a number of other Premier League stars over the next few days.
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Those in command at St James’ Park could decide to raid Burnley for the second time in a month by chasing a move for James Tarkowski to shore up their defensive ranks.
Newcastle are said to be keen on landing a new centre-back after falling short in their attempts to sign Carlos, with Tarkowski having been linked with the club since the beginning of the window.
He will be out of contract at the end of the campaign and is yet to sign a new deal at Turf Moor, suggesting that a move away is likely to be among the options on his mind.
That said, it remains to be seen whether Burnley would be prepared to let the England international join Wood in jumping ship to play for their Premier League relegation rivals.
The Magpies could also be tempted to launch an audacious bid to land Tottenham misfit Tanguy Ndombele, who is believed to be in talks over a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain.
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The Frenchman has been made available for a move elsewhere ahead of next week’s deadline as Spurs look to offload a number of their existing fringe players to make room for new arrivals.
Newcastle could provide Ndombele with the platform to finally find his feet in England and would have little difficulty in covering the 25-year-old’s lucrative salary until the end of the season.
However, with PSG said to be closing in on his signature, any move for the Spurs man will only be possible if his proposed move to the French capital falls through.
Meanwhile, a similar situation could arise with United midfielder Donny van de Beek if he fails to thrash out a loan agreement with Crystal Palace over the next few days.
The former Ajax man would have plenty to offer the Magpies in their bid to secure top-flight survival and could prove to be a shrewd acquisition if the Magpies can muscle in ahead of Palace in the coming hours.
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Newcastle have also been credited with a desire to sign a new forward and could lay down a significant marker by launching an ambitious move for Arsenal outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabon international has been exiled by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and is said to be open to the idea of a six-month loan exit before his contract runs out in the summer.
Juventus and Barcelona have already lodged offers of their own, though, suggesting that Newcastle would be forced to pay over the odds in order to land Aubameyang on a temporary basis.
They will be desperate to make at least one new addition before the transfer window slams shut on Monday evening, but putting their plans into action is likely to be easier said than done.
Whatever happens over the next few days could make or break Newcastle’s bid to avoid relegation, which highlights the importance of making the right decisions in order to steer clear of an embarrassing return to the Championship.
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