Marc Guehi. (Jacques Feeney/Offside)
Newcastle are gearing up for a busy summer of recruitment after one of their most successful domestic campaigns, and they will now be working on the preparations for Champions League football.
There has already been a lot of noise out of Tyneside in terms of their recruitment process, with Eddie Howe attending a meeting with the owners to discuss plans straight after the clash with Everton, and yesterday it was revealed that sporting director Paul Mitchell will part ways with the club next month.
The exit of Mitchell has come as a surprise to supporters, given his very brief spell at the club and he released a statement regarding his exit:
“I’d like to thank everyone at Newcastle United for their support over the last year,” Mitchell said.
“I’m leaving at a time that is right for me and the club, particularly with Darren Eales – someone who I have worked so closely with in my career – moving on soon.
“The club is in great hands on and off the pitch, and is in a fantastic position to continue building.”
Mitchell’s imminent exit has not deterred Newcastle from their plans of a serious and intentional approach to the transfer window, with The Telegraph reporting today that the club have identified their top targets and a budget to suit their strategy.
Luke Edwards has revealed that Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi remains one of the most sought-after targets for the Magpies this summer, and are preparing an offer to present to the South London club.
A source speaking to Telegraph Sport also claimed:
“Everything is in place, all the work that has been done on players has been finished and now we have to push the button and get those deals done. We know who we want.”
It is further noted that while Newcastle are serious about their interest in Guehi, they will not be offering the same £65m they did last summer and are hoping that a compromise can be reached to get the deal over the line.
Will Marc Guehi sign for Newcastle?
It has been a season full of success and dream fulfilment on Tyneside, but the Carabao Cup winners are not the only club to collect their first trophy in decades.
Crystal Palace beat Manchester City to the FA Cup earlier this month in a monumental victory that saw Guehi captain his club to their first ever major trophy in their history; a historic achievement that has also led to Europa League qualification.
Having said that, the next chapter at Palace is an exciting prospect for the players who have worked hard to get to this position, so there is an incentive for Guehi to remain in South London to be a part of their new challenge.
Indeed, it won’t be an easy decision for the centre-back, however, with Newcastle’s Champions League qualification there is a real opportunity for the 24-year-old to take the next step in his career by joining a project that not only has huge ambitions, but the resources to match.
The England international – hailed a “superstar” by Palace owner Steve Parish – has been admired by Eddie Howe for a long time and the committed pursuit to make Guehi the top target sends a message that the manager is extremely keen on the attributes he can bring to his team.
Fabian Schar has extended his stay in Newcastle for another 12 months, but at 33 years old is not a long-term prospect for the future so finding the natural successor to partner Sven Botman in the centre-back duo would be massively advantageous.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Palace will change their minds about parting ways with their skipper to cash in before his contract ends, or whether they will take the risk and frustrate Newcastle further in their attempts to negotiate this summer.
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