Newcastle transfer news: Toon looking at Swiss forward Noah Okafor

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Newcastle United are looking to sign a striker this summer, and have been linked with RB Salzburg’s Noah Okafor.

Okafor was a rumoured target shortly after Amanda Staveley and co bought the club, with Newcastle looking for attacking reinforcements ahead of their survival mission.

Eddie Howe was able to keep the Magpies up, and he did it without Okafor.

More than a year later and he is seemingly on Newcastle’s radar again, with a move away from RB Salzburg appearing to be on the horizon.

Newcastle following Noah Okafor once again

According to Il Mattino, Newcastle are one of two Premier League clubs that are following Okafor ahead of the summer transfer window. The other English team mentioned is Arsenal.

It is strange to see Newcastle linked with a Swiss striker playing in Austria on an Italian website, but the article is centred around Napoli’s interest. They state that the 22-year-old is being eyed as a possible replacement for Victor Osimhen, who could leave Naples this summer.

However, they could face competition from Newcastle, who will certainly be able to afford Okafor. The report claims that he is going to cost £22million ahead of next season.

That could make him appealing to Newcastle. However, he does not really fit the profile of the type of striker that Howe wants to sign this summer.

He doesn’t quite fit the bill for what Newcastle want

It has been reported that Newcastle want another striker, but they are looking for something specific. They reportedly want to sign someone similar in style to Chris Wood, who is a focal point and target man.

That would give Newcastle something different in attack, with Wood set to join Nottingham Forest permanently this summer.

While Okafor stands at 6ft 1in tall, he is quite different to Wood, which might suggest he is not exactly what Howe is looking for.

But one thing he does have that Newcastle could do with is Champions League experience. Okafor scored three goals in the competition this season, boasting 10 goals in all competitions.

That European experience could be invaluable, and he is also a player who has performed on the international stage. Okafor has 14 caps for Switzerland, where he has played alongside current Toon defender Fabian Schar.