Alongside an additional midfielder, Newcastle United dream of signing a versatile forward before Thursday’s transfer deadline, according to The i’s Mark Douglas.

The Lowdown: Expensive summer

Despite welcoming just four new signings to St James’ Park this summer, the Magpies have reportedly spent a whopping £122.4m on transfer fees.

Whilst Matt Targett and Nick Pope signed for the Tyneside club in deals worth £15.75m and £10.35m respectively, Newcastle’s other two arrivals proved to be far more expensive to secure.

After an extensive round of negotiations, Eddie Howe was finally able to welcome centre-back Sven Botman from Lille after agreeing upon a £33.3m deal, having previously tried to sign the Dutchman in January.

More recently, Amanda Staveley and PIF broke the club’s transfer record as they secured the signing of Real Sociedad centre-forward Alexander Isak for £63m– a highly-rated Sweden international who, like Botman, is just 22 years old.

The Latest: Newcastle want another forward

According to Douglas’ latest report in The i, whilst Newcastle remain in the market for a midfielder, their dream scenario would be to also sign another versatile forward for Howe’s squad.

The northeast club have already welcomed Isak to Tyneside this summer, but it is believed that they would love to bring an extra attacker to St James’ Park before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Regarding the potential midfield arrival, Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher is a player whom the Magpies are interested in signing, whilst Ajax’s Edson Alvarez also takes a place on their transfer wish list.

The Verdict: Is a forward needed?

With Isak set to rival Callum Wilson for Howe’s centre-forward starting spot, this leaves just Chris Wood and Allan Saint-Maximin as the other out-and-out attackers at the club. Whilst the New Zealander plays more centrally, the Frenchman is dominant on the wing, due to his ability to beat defenders with his electric pace.

Therefore, whilst Newcastle are said to be eyeing a ‘versatile’ forward to add to their squad, the focus here probably lies on a wide player.

This makes sense with the Magpies’ pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, for whom the Tyneside club were reportedly priced out of a deal due to his £60m valuation.

Given Howe's dependence on Saint-Maximin, adding another wide forward to his ranks would provide greater quality to the depth of the squad, with Newcastle looking to push for European football.