While so much can change between now and the summer of course, there are a couple of names who keep being linked with a move to Newcastle United.
Scotland pair Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay stand out as the early rumoured targets as Eddie Howe plots to improve his squad this summer.
Tierney has previously been claimed to be open to the idea of a move to St James’ Park given his lack of regular game time at Arsenal.
Newcastle boss Howe is believed to want to bring the defender to Tyneside to allow Dan Burn to move centrally.
A compelling plan of course but there may be a problem.
Arsenal now want to keep Tierney
Indeed, according to Football Transfers, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has decided he wants to keep the former Celtic star.
Arteta is said to view Tierney as an important part of his plans, with neither Takehiro Tomiyasu or Nuno Tavares seen as having the necessary quality to offer cover and competition to Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Convincing Arsenal to sell will be difficult
Given Arteta seemingly rates Tierney highly, the idea of Arsenal willingly selling a player of such value to a domestic rival seems unlikely.
Tierney, who is said to earn £110k-per-week, may also be in line for more in the way of appearances next season too. Arsenal will certainly be back in the Champions League next season and has previously spoken of his desire to break back into the team.
While the idea of being a regular at Newcastle might be tempting, it’s not as if his future is utterly bleak at the Emirates Stadium.
From an Arsenal perspective, selling a player they do not need to, particularly to a rival towards the top of the League, also does not seem wise.
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