Eddie Howe is expected to be backed significantly in the transfer window as he prepares Newcastle United for a busy upcoming season.
What positions are Newcastle looking to improve?
Aware of the extra workload his side will face next season following their qualification for the Champions League, Howe is desperate to bolster his squad. This is not just in terms of quality, but strength in depth too.
Journalist Dean Jones also expects Newcastle to spend big in the summer and acquire a number of new talents, pinpointing two positions in particular that the Magpies will look at reinforcing.
Speaking to The Football Terrace about Newcastle's move for Sandro Tonali and hunt for a central defender, Jones stated: "As well as that, you're going to get them looking at another central midfielder and a full-back as well."
"So, you have got four more signings to come at Newcastle this summer, and they're certainly trying to level up. But it's going to be tough because they punched above their weight last season, they made the Champions League and now those expectations are there, and you have got a lot of teams that are expecting to catch Newcastle."
The implication from Jones is that Newcastle will look for another midfielder regardless of whether they sign Tonali from AC Milan, although that deal looks inevitable now. Considering the Magpies already have Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff as first-choice central midfielders, another two (including Tonali) would take their total to six, allowing for better rotation.
Jones fails to mention whether the full-back Newcastle are interested in plays on the right or left-hand side, but Howe does lack quality depth on both flanks.
While Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn have enjoyed fantastic seasons at right-back and left-back respectively, beyond them there are few top class options. Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo, Jamal Lewis and Matt Targett are all yet to show that they can fill in when called upon at the highest level.
Who will Newcastle sign?
Looking specifically at the two positions in question, there are already a host of names linked with Tyneside.
In central midfield, Tonali's international teammate Nicolo Barella of Inter has been linked, fresh from a disappointing Champions League final defeat to Manchester City. His energy and technical qualities would make him a perfect fit for Howe's Magpies, but his price tag would likely be significant.
James Maddison of Leicester City has been frequently mentioned, but Newcastle face a potential bidding war with Tottenham Hotspur for the Englishman's services. Nice's Khephren Thuram, who is currently at the U21 European Championships with France, is also on their radar, but this time it is Liverpool who will compete with the Toon for the player's signature.
Meanwhile, at full-back, Arsenal's Kieran Tierney is the most prominent name being linked, with the Scot perhaps looking for more playing time after spending the season as Oleksandr Zinchenko's understudy. The 26-year-old left-back did make 27 league appearances last season, but the majority of them came from the bench.
