Newcastle United ‘confident’ over summer moves for relegation threatened duo

Newcastle United will hope to give a boost to their summer transfer ambitions by securing a place in next season’s Champions League over the coming weeks.

Eddie Howe’s men were in blistering form at St James Park on Sunday as they punished a poor display from top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur by inflincting a 6-1 hammering on the North London outfit. The win saw the Magpies end the weekend in third place in the Premier League table and they now hold a six-point advantage over Spurs, as well as having the benefit of holding a game in hand.

Ending the club’s 20-year absence from European football’s elite would hand a significant boost to United’s attempts to bolster Howe’s squad as they look to continue the unquestionable improvement they have made since the former Bournemouth manager was named as successor to Steve Bruce in November 2021. It has been widely reported a number of different transfer targets have been identified based on which European competition the Magpies will compete in next season should they complete their push for a top seven place before the end of the current campaign.

And there is reportedly a growing confidence within the Magpies hierachy over two suggested transfer targets that are currently battling to help their current employers preserve their Premier League status. Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes have both been named as United targets on several occasions in recent months and Football Insider have now suggested the Magpies believe they can ‘snap up two bargain deals’ should their respective clubs slide into the Championship this season. Intriguingly, the report also states Southampton and Leicester are ‘resigned to losing their star players’ and suggests Barnes and Ward-Prowse are ‘eager’ to make a move and remain in the top tier.