Newcastle United consider shock club record deal for £87m Portugal star if Champions League bid is successful

Newcastle United are reportedly ready to break their club transfer record to add a forward to their squad if they are able to secure a return to Champions League football over the next fortnight.

The Magpies head into Thursday night’s home game with Brighton and Hove Albion knowing two wins from their final three games would see them claim a top four place and bring European football’s elite back to St James Park for the first time since the days of Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and Nolberto Solano.

Preparing for possible clashes with the likes of Barcelona, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain would see the Magpies hierachy move to strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad throughout the summer transfer window - and one eye-catching move has already been speculated in the Spanish press.

Spanish outlet Marca have claimed Newcastle are ready to reunite defender Kieran Trippier with his former Atletico Madrid team-mate Joao Felix, who is currently on loan at Chelsea. The Portugal international has endured a somewhat underwhelming spell at Stamford Bridge since he agreed to spend the remainder of the season in West London midway through the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old has scored three goals in 18 Premier League appearances and is highly likely to bring down the curtain on his loan spell when the Blues host Newcastle on Sunday week in their final game of the season. A return to Atletico is complicated by his awkward relationship with manager Diego Simeone and Marca have now suggested a move to Tyneside would be a solution for the forward and would mean ‘one less problem’ for his current employers.

However, Newcastle would have to break the club’s transfer record that was set when Alexander Isak joined the Magpies from Real Sociedad in a reported £63m deal in August last year.

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