Newcastle United learn ‘asking price’ for Barcelona star amid ‘battle’ for Serie A veteran

Newcastle United will already be concentrating on next season after a fine turnaround this term.

Eddie Howe worked wonders after taking over from Steve Bruce, securing Premier League safety and then some, with the Magpies grabbing an 11th place finish.

Next season, Newcastle will want to finish firmly in the top half, armed with a big budget thanks to their recent takeover.

And to do that, they are going to need significant reinforcements, with the squad lacking in a number of key areas.

With that in mind, Howe will already be working at a pace to identify and land new targets, and here we have rounded up the latest rumours:

Perisic race

Newcastle are said to be in a battle with two clubs for the signing of Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic.

Perisic will leave Inter this summer, when his contract expires, and even at 33, he is an attractive prospect.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea are chasing the Croatian’s signing, but both Newcastle and Juventus are still hopeful.

Perisic could bring top-level experience to Howe’s midfield and he would arrive on a free transfer.

Memphis latest

Another big-profile player reportedly being pursued by the Magpies is Barcelona’s Memphis Depay.

The Dutchman only joined Barca on a free transfer last summer, but he has struggled to make a big impression.

As a result, it seems financiall-troubled Barca are looking to offload Memphis in order to help fund summer transfers.

And Sport are reporting the Catalan giants want €20million (£17.1million) for his servces this summer.

Newcastle are being credited with an interest, but it is made clear that Arsenal are currently leading the race.

Howe and the Magpies will be hoping they can change that to land a high-profile player on the cheap, with Memphis having scored 13 goals in his first - and perhaps final - Barca campaign.