Premier League clubs are climbing all over each other for a sniff of a centre-forward signing and strikers with demonstrable experience of the division are hard to come by.
Newcastle qualified for the Champions League to all but end interest from rivals in their own proven hitman and are confident of signing another from under the noses of Arsenal and Chelsea, according to The Telegraph.
Though a teammate has revealed that Brighton striker Joao Pedro wants to live in London and would prioritise that over other factors in the decision he will soon make over his inevitable departure from the south coast club, Luke Edwards reports that the Magpies haven’t been deterred.
‘Newcastle are being encouraged to step up their interest in Brighton forward Joao Pedro after learning the Brazilian would be interested in making the move,’ writes Edwards.
‘[Newcastle] are aware the player is likely to be allowed to leave this summer if a suitable bid is made having discussed the move with intermediaries. An asking price of around £60 million is anticipated and the Newcastle hierarchy would be willing to negotiate around that ball-park figure.’
‘Manager Eddie Howe has been a huge fan of the forward for several years and was on the verge of signing him in the summer of 2022, before landing Alexander Isak.’
Pedro has scored 19 goals in his first two seasons in the Premier League after joining the Seagulls from Watford. Newcastle are keen to add to their firepower with European football now back on their fixture list.
Newcastle are keeping themselves busy before pre-season and remain in the hunt for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga as well as – whisper it! – Sporting CP central defender Ousmane Diomande. But don’t tell anyone.
‘There has been some satisfaction internally that Newcastle’s targets abroad remain a secret, although Telegraph Sport can reveal they have regularly scouted Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande,’ adds Edwards.
‘The only one of their centre-back targets in the public domain is England international Marc Guehi whom they failed to sign last summer after a lengthy and very public pursuit.’
Diomande is a 21-year-old Ivorian who joined Sporting as a teenager in 2023 and has since collected several international caps as well as becoming a regular under Ruben Amorim and then Rui Borges in Lisbon.
The defender completed his academy education at Midtjylland, where Danish centre-back Simon Kjaer and Southampton striker Paul Onuachu were developed.
Diomande started league matches 54 times in 2023-24 and 2024-25 as Sporting won back-to-back titles in Portugal. He’s among the league’s most efficient tacklers and one of its more dominant defenders in the air, and he can make an impact at the other end too.
Newcastle’s need for a central defender is well known. Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, who just had the season of his life, are both 33. Jamaal Lascelles has struggled with injury and is also over 30, while keeping Sven Botman fit must be a priority for Howe next season.
With extra games to play and a future about to unfurl without their leading defensive men, Newcastle will be making moves at the back this summer in secret or otherwise.