Newcastle interested in 'transfer of the summer’, it would be a huge statement signing

Newcastle are interested in making a big-money marquee signing in the summer as they look to build a squad capable of challenging at the very top.

Since the club was bought by the Saudi Arabia-backed consortium, they have been splashing the cash willingly to improve the playing squad.

To date, the club’s new owners have already spent around £215 million on players such as Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood and Alexander Isak.

The Georgian winger was only signed by the Serie A side in the summer but has already made a huge impact at his new club.

The 21-year-old has recorded eight goals and eight assists in 17 outings for Napoli so far and is attracting interest from clubs around the continent.

Ahead of the restart of the Premier League after the World Cup, manager Eddie Howe has spoken about his team’s form having recently thrashed Al-Hilal 5-0 in a friendly match.

He said: “It is not just going to happen by just turning up on the pitch.

“A lot of the work we are doing with the players on the training pitch is hopefully going to give us the best chance to secure that first win back of the season.

“The results are always difficult to guarantee…but the performance and the effort levels, you should be able to see.”

Newcastle’s next Premier League match will be against Leicester City on Boxing Day.