Newcastle wants “one of the best CFs in Europe”

Newcastle United are excited to approach the summer transfer window after its 2024/25 campaign at a high price. However, there were challenges and set-ups that became habitual on Tyneside.

But one of Eddie Howe’s superpowers is his ability to ease adversity and bring the club together, so Brian Mbemo, Joa Pedro and Mohamed Kudus, and perhaps Mateus Kunha, have also missed it.

The contract with Nottingham Forest has been agreed to Anthony Elanga, worth £52 million. Burnley’s shot stopper James Trafford’s bid is also underway, and it appears to end in a positive way.

Additionally, Alexander Isaac will remain at St. James Park. Still, Hau wants a new centre forward, and it has been confirmed that Eintrak Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitique is on the radar.

But it will be a difficult transaction, and another option has been assigned.

Newcastle is chasing a new striker

The interest in the centre of Tyneside is covered by a measure of fear. Newcastle fans want to see the new numbers with No. 9 folded, but have not sacrificed Isaac’s place within the team.

Luckily, PIF has no plans to sell a £200 million talisman. With Callum Wilson leaving St James Park at the end of his contract, securing a new nine is not a luxury, it’s a must-have.

Ekitike may be at the top of his shopping list right now, but he’s just too expensive at £85 million and Aintracht Frankfurt is not upset.

That’s why Newcastle is aiming at Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. According to catch-offside, Magpies have joined the club’s growth list, including Arsenal and Manchester United, who are interested in the English stars.

Naturally, the villa doesn’t want to sell, but the price for the 29-year-old is £50 million, and if Newcastle leads such an offer to the table, they might just be in an interesting position.

Why Newcastle Wants to Ollie Watkins

Consistently among the most dangerous forwards in the Premier League in the past few years, Watkins will bring experience and dynamism to the Newcastle side, which requires his profile.

He is primarily a central striker, and Watkins’ high-energy running, ability to play through the line, he is deployed on the left flank of Unai Emery’s Villan system. This is perfect for Howe who likes to shuffle offensive packs.

The 22-year-old Ekitike scored 22 goals in all competitions last season, supporting 12 more, but he is a gem that has not yet been cut and he has only actually shown the full range of his quality in one campaign at the highest level.

Conversely, Watkins has been proven in the world’s toughest league in five years.

The Three Lions star has even been described by podcaster Rohan Givan as “one of Europe’s best centre forwards,” and his integrity and experience require exactly what Newcastle needs to up one of his previous campaigns.

Certainly not easy, but Toon is now shaped into one of the Premier League-recognized big names, pinned to the top edge of the table.

Ekitike is undoubtedly one of the biggest talents in the business, but given his horrible pricing and the possibility that he may not adapt to the English game soon, providing Watkins with momentary results may be the best course of action for Howe’s ambitious planning.