Managing Newcastle United as Benjamin Sesko call made and Eddie Howe performs £40m pivot

It's been a frustrating first half of the summer transfer window for Newcastle United. Only one senior addition has been made to Eddie Howe's squad ahead of a new Premier League season where the Magpies are set to compete in the UEFA Champions League once again.

While the club bolstered their frontline with the £55million signing of Anthony Elangafrom Nottingham Forest earlier this month, the Swede is so far the only first-team signing that has arrived at St. James' Park. The uncertainty surrounding Alexander Isak, who was the subject of an approach from Liverpool, and the failed move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who isclosing in on a move to the Reds, has left them back at square one.

The Magpies are also in need of a new goalkeeper with all five at the club over the age of 32, and they face a similar situation in defence with six of their defenders over 30. Mirror Football examines who Newcastle might well focus their energy on to sign, which includes a £40m shot-stopper and a potential Isak replacement worth £78m.

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£40m goalkeeper pivot

Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford was a player the Magpies were keen to sign last season but were forced to pull out of a deal due to PSR issues. The young England star enjoyed a record-breaking season in the Championship, where he kept 29 clean sheets and conceded just 16 goals as the Clarets earned promotion back to the Premier League.

Remaining a player of interest, Newcastle have returned to the bargaining table to secure a move for Trafford - but their efforts have been put in serious doubt thanks to the reemergence of Manchester City. The Citizens are keen to activate their buy-back clause to sign their former academy graduate.

Trafford - who spent six years in City's academy - is being touted as a replacement for Ederson, who, according to reports in Turkey, has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray. While it looks further frustration for Howe, Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier has already been named as an alternative target, and potentially a more promising one anyway.

Also valued at £40m, the Frenchman was voted Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the year last season. The 23-year-old kept 11 clean sheets, just one less than league-leading Brice Samba. He could prove to be a shrewd signing for the Magpies, despite Trafford, who struggled in the Premier League at his last attempt, being prioritised.

Top defensive target secured

Bolstering their defensive ranks is also high on Howe's agenda, especially with the injury-plagued record of Sven Botman. After appearing in 44 games during his debut season in England, the Dutchman has played in a combined 32 in his next two campaigns due to suffering serious knee injuries.

Botman's unreliability and Newcastle's lack of younger options in their defence has led them to build a shortlist of Nicola Savona, Giorgio Scalvini and Cesar Tarrega, according to Sky Sports. It's Juventus defender Savona who is said to be at the top of Howe's list, despite suffering an ankle injury against Manchester City in the Club World Cup.

The 22-year-old, who made 28 appearances for the Old Lady this past season, played at right back for the majority of those games but transitioned into a centre-back in the business end of the season. Despite reports suggesting he'll be out of action until mid-September, he can still make the move to Tyneside with one eye very much on his future prospects.

An offer in the region of £20m could be enough to secure his signature. If not, fellow Italian Scalvini, 21, missed the second half of last season for Atalanta but is set to be fit for the new season, while Spaniard Tarrega, 23, has established himself as first-choice for Valencia.

Attacking addition conundrum

Newcastle's striker dilemma is a complex one and currently shows no signs of subsiding. The club were hoping to make it three times lucky in signing Ekitike this month. After having gone in for him on two separate occasions in recent years but to no avail, they attempted to lure him away from Frankfurt with a £70m bid that was swiftly rejected by the Bundesliga side.

The Frenchman is now set to complete a move to Liverpool with Newcastle forced to look for alternatives, one potentially coming in the form of Brentford's Yoane Wissa. However, with Bryan Mbeumo expected to seal a move to Manchester United in a £71m transfer, the west Londoners could be reluctant to part with their striker, who is also subject to interest from Tottenham where he could reunite with former boss Thomas Frank.

With the striker options drying up, Newcastle have been linked with a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, who is valued at £78m. The Slovenian was favoured by Arsenal but the Gunners have instead opted to pursue Viktor Gyokeres.

Despite his hefty valuation, Newcastle may opt to pay the high fee to secure a replacement for Isak, with speculation continuing to grow after his omission in their 4-0 pre-season loss to Celtic on Saturday. Howe admitted he left the Swede at home due to the overwhelming rumours before admitting he'd talked to him about his future.

"I chose to send him home," Howe said. "The last thing Alex wants if he is not playing is to be sat in the stand and under that scrutiny, then if he wasn't going to play today, we mutually agreed he shouldn't be here.

"Yes, I've had discussions with him, but that's not abnormal," he added. "I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him."

With his move to Liverpool now seemingly out of the equation due to Ekitike, it looks likely that Isak will be staying at St James' Park for the foreseeable. But adding Sesko to the ranks to play alongside him - and eventually fill his boots - might well be a long-term investment worth making.

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