Summary Newcastle are looking to sign Lloyd Kelly to add depth to their backline, given recent injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles. Callum Wilson meanwhile may be on his way out this summer, with PIF already exploring options to sign replacements. Alexander Isak has been on fire this season for the Magpies, but cannot play every game across four competitions, having missed 26 games through injury across the last 2 seasons.
With Callum Wilson's Newcastle United future in doubt, the Magpies have reportedly made their first move to secure a significant upgrade for Eddie Howe this summer.
Newcastle transfer news
Those at St James' Park look set for a busy summer, with a deal reportedly already agreed to sign Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly in a free deal upon the expiry of his current contract. The defender will hopefully arrive to add the squad depth that Howe's side so desperately lack within the backline, especially after ACL injuries to both Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.
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As Kelly arrives, however, Wilson could be heading for the exit door. Now 32 years old and still struggling with injuries, the forward has just over a year left on his current deal, leaving Newcastle with limited time to cash in on the injury-prone attacker. Those injury troubles do not take away from the need to replace Wilson if he does leave, however, and the Magpies seem to be well aware of that given recent reports.
According to GiveMeSport, Newcastle have made contact to sign Dominic Solanke this summer following the Bournemouth forward's excellent campaign for the Cherries. It remains to be seen how much PIF would be left paying for the forward, but an 18-goal Premier League forward is unlikely to come cheap.
The prospect of Alexander Isak and Solanke partnering up or rotating should be enticing enough to draw Newcastle into a potential deal, however, as they look to break back into the Premier League's top four next season.
Signing Solanke would also ease any potential departure blow if Isak was tempted away by the likes of Arsenal in the coming months. Suddenly, those at St James' Park would have a ready-made replacement to lead the line with similar quality in Solanke. That said, having two young and hungry number nines could be a real game-changer moving forwards, and fans will be desperate for the Swedish star to stay put.
"Complete" Solanke can follow Wilson path
Newcastle and Bournemouth are no strangers in the transfer market, with a number of stars heading the way of St James' Park in recent years alongside Howe. Now, the latest to do so looks set to be Kelly, before Solanke possibly follows in his footsteps. There's some irony involved that Newcastle are looking to replace Wilson and the first place they've turned to is Bournemouth, where they initially bought the Englishman from.
Looking to do business with another clinical Bournemouth forward years later, Solanke can follow Wilson's path to becoming a Champions League player and so much more. Cherries boss Andoni Iraola will be keen to keep hold of his star man though, having been full of praise for the clinical striker earlier this season.
Iraola told the Bournemouth Echo: “I think he is really complete. He helps us without the ball and on the ball. He is good technically, to play with his feet. He uses his body well. If they leave him space at the back, he can also exploit it. He had his chances. He scored, he hit the post. I think he was really dangerous. He helped his teammates a lot. I am really happy with him.”
