Newcastle United ‘prioritise’ forward transfer with £34m ‘alternative’ already lined up

Newcastle United continue their pre-season preparations in Austria.

This will be seen as the most exciting season at St James’ Park for some time, with Eddie Howe adding to his squad significantly after a fine finish to last season.

Newcastle ended up as high as 11th last season, and they will fancy their chances of moving into the top half in the coming season.

New signings will help with that bid, and the Magpies have already added a number of new faces, with even more expected.

With that in mind, we have rounded up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding St James’ Park.

Diaby latest

Newcastle were linked with a move for Alexander Isak earlier this week, but the latest report claims they are concentrating efforts elsewhere.

The Northern Echo claim the Magpies would prefer to sign Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby this summer.

The issue is that Leverkusen reportedly want £50million to sell the striker, but Newcastle are only budgeting £40million to improve their front line.

The Magpies will have to strike a deal if they want to land Diaby, but he is still likely to come cheaper than Isak, who has a release clause worth around £75million.

The Alternative

With the Diaby efforts far from a certainty, Newcastle are also said to be considering a deal for Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata.

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Newcastle are ready to reignite their interest in the Colombian forward as they look to strengthen their front line.

The Magpies are said to have offered a big loan fee to sign Zapata in January, but they came up short in their attempts.

This summer, they would likely chase a permanent deal, with the 31-year-old reportedly valued at £34million by Atalanta, still having two years of contract remaining.