The four big summer deals that Newcastle already have in the pipeline - including bold Liverpool swoop

Having finally won some silverware for the first time in decades, Eddie Howe’s next job as Newcastle manager will be to keep them in the hunt for Champions League places season after season – and the club will hope that this summer’s work in the transfer market goes a long way towards ensuring that they do indeed remain competitive for years to come.

There are two major priorities, with depth at centre-half a desperate need and a new right winger a must, with Jacob Murphy the only ‘recognised’ winger left in the squad – but who will they sign, and how is the summer likely to pan out?

With new names always falling off the rumour mill, it can be tricky to keep track, so based on the most persistent and realistic stories currently in circulation and our own understanding of Newcastle’s likely moves, we’ve wrapped up the deals which seem set to happen this summer below.

Newcastle keen on Moise Kean as goalkeeper chase continues

While defenders and wingers may be the priorities, there are at least two other positions in which reinforcements are expected – and one of them is up front, with extra support for Alexander Isak wanted.

The Swede is expected to stay as it stands despite interest from Arsenal and Liverpool, largely because Newcastle have no intention of selling and a strong negotiating position, so it would take an outrageous offer to change their mind.

But a back-up is still important and Newcastle have genuine interest in former Juventus and Everton forward Moise Kean, who has finally started turning his early-career hype into goals with Fiorentina.

The club are reported to have made the first moves towards a deal already, with the Italian expected to cost around £44.5m due to a release clause in his contract. There will be competition for the signing given Kean’s impressive haul of 22 goals in 36 games this season, and Kean may not want to move to a club where he would likely play second fiddle, but the Magpies remain optimistic that they can persuade the 25-year-old of the strength of the project.

Elsewhere, Newcastle have long been interested in buying Burnley’s James Trafford with the expectation that he would take over from Nick Pope in goal – but Manchester United are all believed to be keen, which seems to be forcing Newcastle to contemplate a Plan B. Trafford is the priority, but Aaron Ramsdale is also an option with Arsenal happy to sell.

Will Newcastle sign Jarell Quansah? And who’s the priority on the wing?

It’s a little harder to know who Newcastle have lined up for their two most important signings of the summer, but we may be starting to get a little bit of clarity on their preferences in defence.

A few reports have suggested that initial negotiations are underway for a deal which would see Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah move to St. James’ Park, likely for a fee of around £30-40m. It’s a long way from being a done deal and Newcastle are doing their due diligence on alternatives, but Quansah seems like a good bet at this stage. A second attempt at buying Marc Guéhi is not anticipated.

On the right wing, all we have right now is a lengthy list of players that Newcastle have at least some interest in, and we simply don’t know who the club’s transfer team would most like to sign – that will be revealed further down the line.

Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara have all been mentioned in dispatches, as has Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who could equally be seen as an option in central midfield.

Any of those four could be Newcastle’s primary target, but as it stands we only have conjecture to go on and there have been no indications from the more reliable corners of the media – or from our own sources – as to which direction the Magpies will go. Whatever their thought process is, however, there is next to no chance that they go into another season without giving Murphy some competition for a starting spot.