Newcastle United will take their spending in the January transfer window up to £90million after agreeing a fee with Brighton for defender Dan Burn.
The Magpies – enjoying their first transfer window following their Saudi Arabian-backed takeover in October – have struck a deal in the region of £13m with the Seagulls for Burn.
Newcastle completed the £35m signing of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from French club Lyon following on from the signings of striker Chris Wood and wing-back Kieran Trippier from Burnley and Atletico Madrid respectively.
Brighton previously rejected an £8m approach for the 6ft 7in defender but have accepted the latest approach from the North East club.
Burn – formerly of Darlington, Fulham and Wigan – is now set to leave Brighton after four years at the club to become the fourth arrival at St. James’s Park this month.
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Burn, born in Blyth, grew up as a fan of Newcastle and this transfer will allow him to complete his lifelong dream of representing the club.
It follows Newcastle’s frustrations in their search to sign a new central defender this month after failed moves for Lille’s Sven Botman and Sevilla defender Diego Carlos.
Newcastle’s transfer business is not yet finished either as they are also hopeful of securing a loan deal for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
As per the Manchester Evening News, the two clubs are in discussions which would see the Magpies cover Henderson’s £110k weekly wage and pay the Red Devils a loan fee.
Jesse Lingard has been another Newcastle target this month but talks have stalled over that move, with the club still also weighing up signing a new left-back and an additional striker.
The Magpies jumped into 18th place and within one point of safety when they secured their first away victory of the season against Leeds United in their most recent fixture.
Howe said during a press conference in Saudi Arabia: “There’s nothing on individual players but we are hopeful we are getting close to completing a transfer.
“Fingers crossed we are close to getting one over the line.
“From my perspective I don’t imagine that would be the end of our interest in bringing new players in. Whether that turns into reality, who knows?
“Things change very late in this window as everybody knows, it can be quite unpredictable in the last couple of days.
“We’re open. We’re working hard to improve the squad. Our biggest aim is to give the team the best chance of staying in the league.”
Newcastle’s first clash after the January transfer window will be a home clash against Everton on 8 February.
