Newcastle shortlisted eight players

Newcastle is preparing for a very busy summer transfer window if the club qualifies for the Champions League. Bosses have shortlisted eight players.

The Saudi state investment fund, which has invested about 300 million euros in strengthening the team by buying players such as Kieran Trippiero, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexandre Isak, wants to seriously compete in the Champions League next season.

One of the first is PSG winger Neymar. The 31-year-old Brazilian will leave Paris this summer and Newcastle is one of very few clubs capable of meeting the player’s wage demands.

Newcastle owners also want to make inroads into other Premier League clubs, trying to acquire midfielders James Maddison from Leicester, Mason Mount from Chelsea and Declan Rice from West Ham as well as Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, the Daily Mail reports.

Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who is guaranteed a fee of €60m, Bayer’s forward Moussa Diaby and talented Hungarian playmaker Dominique Soboslai of Leipzig could also make a move to the EPL.

Coach Eddie Howe personally said recently that he sees no point in transferring Neymar, as he counts on players who are capable of progressing.