Newcastle United 'would love' to sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Attacking reinforcements

In spite of Chris Wood arriving at St James’ Park from Burnley in January, Eddie Howe’s side remain keen on adding attacking reinforcements to the Toon’s squad.

A whole range of targets have been touted with moves to the Tyneside club, but the Newcastle-premium has meant fees have proven to be prohibitive thus far.

The Magpies were reportedly keen on signing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad and Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, but price-tags in excess of £60m ruled those options out (via The Telegraph).

The Latest: PIF getting 'figures into place'

Jones believes that Calvert-Lewin remains Newcastle’s top attacking target this summer, but he claims a Premier League switch will be no easy move for Dan Ashworth and PIF to secure.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the journalist said:

“Calvert-Lewin is still the guy that they would love to lead their attack. Obviously, we haven’t seen an aggressive push to sign him at this point. I think they’re trying to get the kind of figures into place that might convince Everton to do business. They know they don’t want to sell the player. So you’re going to have to put forward a good offer from day one, if it’s going to happen.”

The Verdict: Upgrade on Wood

The 25-year-old Everton man possesses a similar build to Wood, but clearly has a much higher ceiling which Howe could exploit.

With similar underlying statistics regarding heading ability - both forwards are in the top five percent for aerials won (per FBRef) - the England international would also provide the Magpies boss with a similar tactical style, making the transition easier for the rest of the XI.

However, Calvert-Lewin brings additional qualities to the table. Former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti was highly complementary of his striking ability, claiming that he is a ‘cold’ finisher in front of goal, while scout Jacek Kulig credits the Italian manager for turning 'DCL' into a 'monster'.

With many years left to perform at the top-level, this signing could be a huge upgrade on Wood.