Newcastle are said to be targeting a Champions League striker after reports that they want his team-mate, as there are ‘fears’ in terms of their forward situation.
The Magpies could end the summer in a bit of a pickle up front. They have been adamant all summer, with Alexander Isak linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and some financial powerhouses, that they will not sell him.
But they have since found out that the Swede wants to explore other opportunities. That comes just after one of their striker targets, Hugo Ekitike, went to the Reds.
They have been linked with Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, who recently left his club’s pre-season training camp as he’s become unsettled amid links with other clubs, and is said to want to leave.
According to GIVEMESPORT, Newcastle have ‘assessed other options on the market due to fears that Wissa will prove to be out of their reach’.
Therefore, they are ‘considering entering the race’ for RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda amid their determination to secure additional ammunition.
Openda scored 13 goals and assisted another 11 last season for Leipzig, and Serie A heavyweights Inter Milan have eyes on him as a result.
As such, Newcastle will ‘have to move quickly’ if they want to wrap up the deal for the Belgian. Wissa remains top of the list for the Magpies, and it’s known that there are other strikers on the list.
Indeed, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that ‘multiple deals’ are being eyed.
One of those, per the insider, is for Benjamin Sesko, Openda’s team-mate, who scored 21 goals in all competitions last season.
It’s stated the Magpies are ‘attentive’ to his situation this summer. It’s unlikely that Newcastle will be able to land both Sesko and Openda, with Leipzig likely not allowing it, given they’d be losing two of four strikers in their senior squad if that happened.
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At 25 and 22, Openda and Sesko could provide great value to Leipzig for years to come, which means they are high value players, and if one is sold, there’s very little chance the other will be.
Whether Newcastle manage to sign either remains to be seen, and if they get Wissa, it is not clear if they’d be looking to sign either of them.
That said, they wanted Ekitike while Isak was still happy at the club, so there seems a chance they’d be willing to sign two strikers if he was to leave.
READ MORE: Club threaten to gazump Liverpool with £150m bid for Isak as Romano reveals Reds stance