Newcastle United already have new summer signing in mind despite 'outstanding' £12m alternative

Jacob Murphy continued his excellent run of form with a brace in Newcastle United’s 3-0 win at Leicester City on Monday night.

Murphy scored twice in the opening 11 minutes at the King Power Stadium - taking his tally to eight for the season, first converting Tino Livramento’s low cross before pouncing on Fabian Schar’s halfway line shot that rebounded off the crossbar.

Adding his 10 assists into the mix, Murphy has registered 18 goal involvements this campaign - his best return by some distance since joining from Norwich City for £12million eight years ago.

It’s perhaps easy to forget that the winger didn’t enjoy the best of starts to life on Tyneside and there were doubts whether he’d ever make it after being loaned to West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.

Jacob Murphy in fine form for Newcastle United

Murphy’s revival started under Steve Bruce as a right wing back, though Eddie Howe has taken the player onto a whole new level by deploying him on the right side of his three-man attack. His output has improved season by season but how?

“Just trying to get him to play to his strengths, really,” replied Howe. “I think he's a very intelligent player, he's always been a very team-based player, he always thinks of the team before himself, which is a very rare thing to have in any attacking player.

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“He's been very selfless at times, he's been used in various different roles for sort of an off-the-ball game plan, and he's been able to do that so it's great to see a player that has given so much now getting the individual recognition that his performance deserved.

“Sometimes you only get that through goals and assists, but he's been right up there in terms of those numbers. I think he's an outstanding player.”

Newcastle United still targeting a new right forward

Although Murphy is doing his best to argue otherwise, Newcastle remain keen on recruiting a new right forward during this summer’s transfer window. It is the only position the Magpies haven’t strengthened since the takeover of PIF in October 2021.

And it has since been weakened. Murphy had often shared the role with Miguel Almiron but is now the only recognised right winger in the squad after Almiron re-joined former club Atlanta United for £8m plus add-ons in January.

Newcastle are among the Premier League clubs to have shown interest in Brentford top scorer Bryan Mbeumo but with a reported £50m to £60m price tag , it is not yet clear if any teams will bite at that price.

Meanwhile, United have also been linked with PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko, Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.

Howe’s squad has gone three consecutive transfer windows without welcoming a major signing having flown dangerously close to breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). But by selling Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh last summer and Almiron and Lloyd Kelly in January, Howe has strongly hinted this summer will be different.

"I think we're in a better position regarding PSR and that's the key thing,” Howe said last week. We knew from the outset that last summer was going to be very difficult - and it turned out to be that way. Hopefully this summer has a totally different view."