Eddie Howe urges Newcastle owners to "take advantage" of summer transfer window - who should they sign?

Last summer, the Magpies found themselves reluctantly having to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton in order to comply with profitability and sustainability restrictions (PSR), a process they achieved with literally minutes to spare to avoid a points deduction. Howe described it as a “frustrating” transfer window, as plans to sign the likes of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace fell flat.

This time around, they are in a significantly-stronger position ahead of the June 30 deadline, having not made a major signing in three transfer windows and – amid suggestions that the likes of Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Forest may have to sell in order to comply – Howe wants the club to be ready to pounce.

He said: “The PSR deadline plays a huge role for clubs – both those clubs with PSR issues and those without – because those without may potentially look to try to sign players. They will look to take advantage of other clubs, as clubs did to us last year, quite rightly.

“It’s a really interesting dynamic and one that we’re really aware of and that we’ll try to use to our advantage if we can. I can’t go into the details of that, but no doubt we’ve got people at the club who are working very hard behind the scenes on it.”

The Magpies head for Brighton on Sunday still sitting third in the table and knowing Champions League qualification remains in their hands, albeit with a difficult run of fixtures to come.They will have European football next season regardless of what happens during the remainder of the campaign – their Carabao Cup final success came along with a Conference League place – while a place in Europe’s biggest club competition would not only help to attract summer targets, but might also persuade their biggest names to remain on Tyneside.

So who might Newcastle United sign this summer?

Marc Guehi - Crystal Palace

Having failed to secure Guehi’s services last summer, Newcastle will surely go after him again when the transfer window opens. The England international committed his short-term future to Crystal Palace, but is surely deserving of a move up the Premier League food chain.

Bryan Mbeumo - Brentford

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has already admitted he may have to sell Mbeumo this summer; with other top clubs potentially having to manage their budget carefully this summer, Newcastle are perhaps best-placed to outbid their rivals.

Milos Kerkez - Bournemouth

Defensive injuries have plagued Newcastle in the past couple of seasons, but Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez would slot straight into Howe’s starting XI. Although Liverpool are the frontrunners to poach the Hungarian left-back this summer, if Newcastle have the cash available they could easily hijack the move.

Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa

If Villa are indeed in a position where they have to sell players this summer, a move for midfielder Morgan Rogers would be a fantastic option for the Magpies. The 22-year-old has had a breakout season, bagging 14 goals and 13 assists in all competitions so far this season.