Bruce plans to sign proven goalscorer, winger & midfielder in next 22 days – The Athletic

As revealed by The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, Steve Bruce is planning to sign a proven goalscorer, a ‘wide forward‘ and an ‘athletic central midfielder‘ this month.

The piece claims we have around ‘£20m’ to spend, however the club are expected to explore loan deals with ‘options to buy’, with most of our spending expected to be done in the summer this year.

Here’s a snippet from The Athletic’s latest piece on the transfer front:

‘Head coach Steve Bruce’s priority is to sign a striker, given Joelinton’s continued struggles since joining for £40 million from Hoffenheim last summer, but he also wants a wide forward and an athletic central midfielder to bolster his squad.

‘Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek and even Brighton & Hove Albion’s Glenn Murray are among the centre-forwards who Newcastle have been told could be available. But a striker is more likely to arrive later this month as Newcastle wait to see who becomes available.

‘Although Newcastle have around £20 million to spend, their preference is to use the loan market where possible before looking for more permanent solutions during the off-season. As well as having both domestic loan slots available, they are also exploring whether they can bring in players from abroad on initial temporary deals with options to buy.‘

All three would be welcome additions – especially a goalscorer given Joelinton’s struggles up top – but it seems we’ll be relying mainly on loan if Bruce’s budget is just £20m; an amount which buys you very little in this day and age (especially when the market is even more inflated in January).

Waugh also confirms that Lookman is a ‘genuine’ target, however his comments suggest rumours of him being ‘set for a medical this weekend’ are premature.

He states both RB Leipzig and Newcastle are now in talks over his potential switch to St James’ Park and reveals that a loan with a ‘non-compulsory purchase clause’ is something we’re pursuing – although it remains to be seen if the Bundesliga side would agree to such a package.

The NUFC reporter insists that we’ve gained ‘positive noises’ from Germany regarding his potential move to Tyneside, with the player ‘keen’ to sign, however it seems the loan fee and ‘purchase clause’ are yet to be agreed on – despite some big claims from Football Insider.

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