Newcastle United have sent three of their first team players to the U23s as Eddie Howe looks to trim his squad as he targets more signings.
According to Sporsmail, the three players in question are striker Dwight Gayle and Republic of Ireland duo Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick.
The decision came after manager Howe realised that he has more than 30 senior players in his squad and he simply cannot have such huge numbers through pre season.
Advert
It is expected that the trio of outcasts will soon be moved on as the Magpies look to thin out their squad before targeting more new signings.
A number of Championship clubs are currently holding talks with Newcastle for the trio, with an initial loan move the likeliest option for Gayle and Hendrick.
Striker Gayle is attracting interests from Watford and Birmingham City, who is also interested in Clark alongside Sheffield United. Hendrick is subject to interest from Reading.
Advert
To date, Newcastle have already brought in three players in the shape of goalkeeper Nick Pope along with defensive duo Matt Targett and Sven Botman.
The club are reportedly interested in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby and Chelsea striker Armando Broja but it is believed that there has been zero progress on either in the past few days.
Newcastle are also said to be keen on Everton’s 21-year-old star winger Anthony Gordon but they know the chances of luring Gordon away from Goodison Park are extremely slim.
Howe and the club’s scouting department will continue to analyse the market as well as the form and fitness of the players currently at the club during the first part of pre season.
A winger and a striker remain the top of the agenda for Newcastle, but for now, shifting players is the more pressing concern.
Advert
Young players such as Elliot Anderson, Joe White and Kelland Watts are set to be loaned out for the season.
Howe and his side will be flying to Austria for a training camp and two scheduled friendly matches, no new signings are expected before then.
Howe took over a Newcastle side rooted in the bottom three last season, but after adding the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood to the team in January, the club started to climb up the table as they produced some outstanding performances. They finished 11th in the Premier League after a run of 12 wins in their last 18 matches.
Advert
The future is looking bright for Newcastle after the take over by a Saudi backed consortium, big investments will be made, Howe will be expected to do better than what he achieved last season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Newcastle United, Eddie Howe
