Newcastle United are accelerating their attempts to sign all of Joao Pedro, Anthony Elanga and James Trafford this summer.
After a relatively slow start to the summer transfer window, Newcastle have made bids totalling £125million for Pedro, Elanga and Trafford.
Geordie Boot Boys understands Newcastle’s bid for Elanga has been rejected, though at least there is finally some movement on that front.
Elanga and Pedro are both leading attacking targets and have been linked before, while Trafford almost joined the club last summer.
Newcastle are prepared to pay big money for Trafford, while Pedro is open to moving to St James’ Park.
Signing all three players will no doubt be difficult, but it would be quite the statement of intent. Newcastle want to sign four players this summer, and landing all three in reasonably quick succession would be a remarkable turn of events after so much frustration in the transfer market of late.
With that in mind, here’s how Newcastle United could line up with Pedro, Elanga and Trafford in the team.
Newcastle United’s dream lineup including Joao Pedro, Anthony Elanga and James Trafford
There are a few ways in which Eddie Howe could set his team up should all three players arrive.
Firstly, he could stick to the tried-and-tested 4-3-3 formation he’s generally deployed since his appointment as Newcastle United manager in 2021.
Pedro could operate off the left in place of Anthony Gordon or Harvey Barnes, while Elanga could replace Jacob Murphy at right wing. Trafford in for Nick Pope is the obvious goalkeeping change.
Secondly, Howe could change the system if he adds genuine depth to the Newcastle United squad.
Pedro is able to operate in a deeper position, though playing a No.10 would sacrifice one of Newcastle’s midfielders. Still, it wouldn’t necessarily have to become the default system, and having that kind of flexibility could only be a positive.
In May, Howe admitted Newcastle’s squad was “light” after a few injuries piled up towards the end of the season.
If he’s given at least three big-name signings to help compete across a number of fronts next season, Howe will surely be delighted.
How much money do Newcastle United have to spend this summer?
Newcastle’s transfer budget is reportedly around £150million, albeit that may not include the money raised by way of selling players.
Signing Pedro, Elanga and Trafford would obviously eat up a sizeable portion of the budget available to Howe, but it would really raise the level of the squad on Tyneside.
Newcastle still want to sign a new central defender, so business may continue, but landing all three targets would be a major statement of intent.
It’ll be fascinating to see if Newcastle can get a defender over the line and strengthen their squad even further for the Champions League campaign to come.
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