Newcastle have had a £45m bid for the Sweden right-winger Anthony Elanga rejected by Nottingham Forest but hope to succeed where they failed a year ago by signing the Burnley and England goalkeeper James Trafford.
Eddie Howe has long admired Elanga but, as first reported by the Athletic, Forest are extremely reluctant to sell. They also appear uninterested in a potential part-exchange deal involving the Newcastle left-winger Harvey Barnes.
If Elanga does end up departing the City Ground it is unlikely to be for less than £60m, a sum Newcastle believe is too high.
Trafford, valued at £40m by Burnley, will not come cheap either. The 22-year-old, though, looms large on Howe’s shopping list, with Newcastle’s manager disappointed a £20m move for the Burnley keeper foundered last summer.
With Trafford keeping 29 clean sheets and conceding only 16 goals as Burnley won automatic promotion from the Championship, the price tag of a keeper whose highly assured footwork is coveted by Howe has doubled.
Although the Lancashire side are likely to drive a hard bargain as negotiations open this week, the impending arrival of the Karlsruher SC goalkeeper Max Weiss at Turf Moor for about £4.5m suggests that Scott Parker is preparing for life without Trafford.
Much may depend on whether Newcastle – who have goalkeeping alternatives in mind – can negotiate a compromise over the price.
At 6ft 6in Trafford’s commanding presence is combined with shot-stopping excellence and footwork that demonstrates his origins as a highly regarded outfield schoolboy player.
Trafford, who grew up on a farm in a village outside the small town of Cockermouth, has admitted he was “disappointed” when last summer’s mooted transfer collapsed.
Trafford’s likely arrival places the future of Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper, Nick Pope, in doubt. Although Howe would ideally like Trafford and Pope to compete for a starting spot, the latter is much admired by promoted Leeds. Moreover Howe’s goalkeeping department is already overstocked and he has competition for Trafford in Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle also remain keen on bolstering their attack and, in addition to their pursuit of Elanga, are longstanding admirers of Brighton’s João Pedro but face competition from Chelsea. João Pedro is thought to favour a move to London.
With Howe’s hopes of signing the Crystal Palace centre-half Marc Guéhi diminishing, attentions on Tyneside have turned to Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young defenders in Serie A.
Newcastle are understood to be open to selling either Sean Longstaff – an Everton target who has also been monitored by Leeds – or his fellow midfielder Joe Willock. They will resist interest in Alexander Isak from, among other clubs, Liverpool.
They are expected to offer Isak a lucrative contract extension this summer. While it is far from certain that he will agree to it, the striker’s deal runs until 2028 and St James’ Park executives are determined not to sell their prize asset this year.
