Newcastle United haven’t had the easiest start to the transfer window, but their pursuit of two highly-regarded forwards could put their summer business on a more positive footing.
The glaring headline at St James’ Park is that star striker Alexander Isak appears to be slipping from their grasp, having not travelled with Eddie Howe’s pre-season squad amid reports that he wants to explore his options, not long after Liverpool made an approach to sign him.
That’s added to their pursuits of James Trafford, Hugo Ekitike and Bryan Mbeumo, among others, all of which ended in misery.
Newcastle United to turn fortunes in poor window with double striker signing
It will take a lot to replace Isak at St James’ Park (Image credit: Getty Images)So far, the only senior player Howe has managed to get through the doors is former Nottingham Forest man Anthony Elanga, in a £55m deal.
But that may not be the case for long, as the Magpies are already plotting where they might spend the Isak millions.
RB Leipzig man Benjamin Sesko is Newcastle’s primary target (Image credit: Getty Images)According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle’s primary target is RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, but the north-east club are also said to be interested in Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, holding a belief that the pair could be complementary signings.
The same outlet reveals that Liverpool are ready with a bid of up to £150m, which it’s hoped will fund the pair, with Jackson valued at around £60m.
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Jackson’s place at Chelsea is in doubt after the west London club signed Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, both players who were on Newcastle’s radar at one stage.
Sesko is undoubtedly the main target, but Porto forward Samu Aghehowa is also under consideration as a supplementary striker, based on the same report, if Jackson proves too difficult to land.
Newcastle want to bring in Nicolas Jackson as well as Sesko if Isak departs (Image credit: Getty Images)In FourFourTwo’s view, while two strikers with the quality and pedigree of Sesko and Jackson would usually be welcomed with open arms, as a replacement for Isak it doesn’t feel like anything will be quite enough.
There is no way of dressing up the fact that Newcastle will be waving goodbye to one of the best strikers in the world, a category of player they haven’t been blessed with since the days of Alan Shearer.
While there are high hopes for Sesko, any replacement will feel like a downgrade from Isak. It will take something truly spectacular to lift the mood at St James’ Park after the summer they’ve had so far.
Sesko is worth €70m, according to Transfermarkt, while Jackson is valued at €50m.
