Newcastle United are planning to finally appoint a director of football in the coming weeks – and already have two summer transfer targets in mind.
That’s according to The Mirror, who claim that Newcastle’s long-awaited appointment of a director of football is finally coming to an end.
Ever since Newcastle’s takeover went through in October, the Magpies have been looking for a director of football.
Newcastle’s current setup, with all due respect, isn’t full of football knowledge and bringing in an experienced director would be vital.
Michael Emenalo a key name in the mix, but the favourite now appears to be Brighton’s technical director Dan Ashworth.
Duncan Castles claimed in December that Ashworth was ‘leaning towards’ joining Newcastle, but that deal still hasn’t been done.
With Newcastle expecting an appointment soon, we would imagine that Ashworth is the man for the job.
That same report adds that Newcastle are ready to go back in with summer bids for Sven Botman and Darwin Nunez.
Lille defender Botman was the subject of a huge £35million bid from Newcastle, but Lille refused to sell in January.
The Dutchman is still one of Newcastle’s top targets though, and they could come back in with a new bid this summer.
Benfica striker Nunez is believed to be valued at around £40million and Newcastle are desperate to bring him in.
Nunez has hit 20 goals in 25 outings this season and looks to be a star of the future at the age of just 22.
There is plenty of time to tee up these deals before the summer window, and the new director of football will be charged with the task of signing them.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
