Premier League rivals think Paul Mitchell is about to deny Eddie Howe his ‘dream’ Newcastle United signing

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Newcastle United are looking to sign a right-winger in the summer transfer window after losing depth in January.

It was a disappointing month for fans to endure with multiple players leaving without any replacements for them arriving on Tyneside.

Newcastle United sold Lloyd Kelly and Miguel Almiron in the January transfer window, leaving Eddie Howe to fight with a weakened squad lacking depth in both defence and on the right side of attack.

Despite the issues with depth, Howe won the Carabao Cup for Newcastle in what was their first domestic honour since 1955. The summer transfer window is set to be a busy one for the Magpies, whose fans have been eagerly awaiting fresh faces coming through the door. Newcastle signed the likes of Odysseas Vlachodimos and William Osula in the last summer transfer window, but neither player has broken into the starting XI this season.

Newcastle will prioritise a right winger in the summer after Almiron’s exit left Jacob Murphy as the only natural right-sided attacking option. Howe has been keen to sign one Premier League winger who caused Newcastle problems this season, but a new report now suggests that sporting director Paul Mitchell could veto any approach for him.

• READ MORE: All of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United signings, ranked

Paul Mitchell may not want to sign Bryan Mbeumo for Newcastle

Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo is having a fantastic season so far, scoring 15 Premier League goals, one of the highest tallies in the competition.

Mbeumo caused Newcastle many problems when the Magpies visited the Gtech Community Stadium last December. Howe’s backline could do nothing as the 25-year-old scored and bagged an assist in a 4-2 win.

Reports have previously stated that Mbuemo is Newcastle’s ‘dream’ signing, but a deal will not be easy or cheap.

Brentford want £60m for Mbeumo this summer, a price tag that nearly matches the record transfer fee Newcastle paid for Alexander Isak in 2022. According to inews, Brentford anticipate interest for Mbeumo in the summer but a rival recruitment executive believes that Mitchell will not look to give the Bees what they want and pay the hefty sum for him.

Instead, the former Southampton and Monaco sporting director will look for quality players abroad with the hope he can bring them to Newcastle for significantly less than what he would have to pay for a Premier League player.

The recruitment executive said: “People talk about the likes of Dean Huijsen and Newcastle’s interest there but every director of football wants to get a Huijsen for £12m (his fee last summer) rather than the £50m he is now.

“The smart money with Paul is that Newcastle look at a few of those type of signings in the summer.”

• READ MORE – £20m striker has hinted he would join Newcastle United if they get Champions League

Newcastle turn their attentions to a new winger

While Newcastle fans would love to sign Mbeumo, the price they would have to pay makes it difficult to see Mitchell forking out the cash.

Exploring the European market offers Mitchell more scope to find hidden gems or bring players who may have already experienced life in England before moving elsewhere.

Sporting Lisbon winger Francisco Trincao is wanted by Newcastle, with the Magpies quoted just £30m for the Portuguese international.

The 25-year-old has enjoyed a fine season in the Liga Portugal so far, starting every game while registering 20 goal contributions.

Trincao has previous experience playing in the Premier League. He enjoyed a loan spell at Wolves during the 2021/22 season but decided against moving to England permanently.

This summer could be a completely different story, however, with several Premier League clubs eyeing his signature, including a possible reunion with former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.