Eddie Howe hands Paul Mitchell his three-man Newcastle wish list for January and he cannot mess this up now

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United are preparing for the January transfer window.

Fans were left disheartened following a lacklustre transfer window which saw the Magpies sign more backup goalkeepers players ready for the first team.

Only the permanent signing of Lewis Hall looks to have paid off from the four transfers made that summer with John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos getting no game time and £15m signing William Osula showing glimmers of hope it will still be a while before he can challenge for Alexander Isak’s place in the starting XI.

New sporting director Paul Mitchell will want to put his first window which left fans with more questions than answers behind him and hit the ground running in January as the Magpies look to push for a return back to European competition.

It was always going to be difficult for Mitchell to come in midway through a transfer window but Newcastle’s attempts to sign Marc Guehi didn’t fill fans with much confidence.

Now he has settled in though the pressure is on to do well and plans are already in place.

Newcastle want to sign a winger, striker and goalkeeper

It’s no secret that Mitchell and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe want to be busy in the transfer market but at the moment it’s difficult to do that with the ongoing problems with PSR which makes selling players a necessity.

Attacking depth is the main concern with the club with the iNews reporting that Newcastle want to secure a winger and a striker.

Newcastle are interested in Bryan Mbeumo who could leave Brentford in January for £50m but if he were signed a sale would have to be made to avoid the PSR problems from last season.

Although the summer signings of Ruddy and Vlachodimos were a help for squad depth there is hope that a younger, higher quality keeper who can challenge Nick Pope in the long term can come in. Newcastle want James Trafford after a failed attempt in the summer.

Who can Newcastle United sell to fund transfer activity?

Newcastle have a lot of baggage that needs to be cleared with players on hefty wages who are barely playing.

Miguel Almiron could leave Newcastle after being told he is free to look for another club. The Magpies have slapped a £8m price tag on the 30-year-old with MLS side Charlotte FC interested.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has interest from Saudi Arabia with Al Shabab keen on signing the 35-year-old whose contract expires in the summer.

Elsewhere, Callum Wilson could leave in the summer with his contract running down. Howe will be desperate to sell Isaac Hayden who has been banished to train with Newcastle’s youth team this season.