Eddie Howe is ready to gamble on the fitness of Callum Wilson as Newcastle’s main striker this season after missing out on top target Hugo Ekitike.
The French forward, 20, has joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan with an option to buy. The Magpies had agreed a deal of around £25million with Reims only for the move to stall last month amid excessive demands from the player’s agent.
But with Ekitike gone and Chelsea striker Armando Broja set for West Ham, it is likely that the bulk of Newcastle’s budget will be spent on a winger - although Jack Harrison of Leeds and Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby are proving too expensive.