It’s not exactly the circumstances the Toon Army fans would have preferred, but they might at least get to see their side make a big splash in the transfer market and prise a key player away from a Premier League rival this summer.
Newcastle United’s decision to sell Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali earlier this summer upset supporters and was a contributing factor in Eddie Howe’s decision to walk away from the club.
That has left the club’s under-pressure owners needing to earn back a bit of trust that they are still ambitious about the future after a disappointing season last term.
Matthias Jaissle set for midfield reinforcements after key departures
Newcastle have already set about spending some of the £237m they raised from their three big departures.
Goalkeepers Ewen Jaouen and Lukas Hornicek, winger Bazoumana Toure, and midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have all arrived this summer for a combined £136.6m
Fans might rightly be concerned that all five are untested in the Premier League after variously arriving from France, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.
Just to compound matters, Hornicek is the only one of the new arrivals who was born before the 2006 Winter Olympics, leaving Newcastle to put a lot of faith in youth and potential.
A player with even just a bit more Premier League experience could go a long way, then – and to that end, reports have now suggested that Newcastle are now lining up a big bid for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The Cameroon international is hardly a grizzled veteran himself at 22 years old, but he has already racked up 92 Premier League appearances since making the move to the Amex from Lille in 2023.
Baleba has previously been linked with Manchester United, but teamTALK report that their interest has cooled.
Reports are conflicting on whether Newcastle are looking to make an offer now or hold fire until Baleba has recovered from an ankle ligament injury.
The Daily Mail have said that it is ‘not an active transfer deal’ as a result of that injury, but rather ‘one to keep an eye on’.
However, talkSPORT’s sources have been told that Newcastle think a deal can be done for £65m, while also expressing scepticism as to whether Brighton would even consider doing business in that price range.
Nothing’s ever straightforward where Newcastle are concerned, is it?