Newcastle strikers: Wissa, Ramos, Strand Larsen, Jackson, Aghehowa

What leading targets remain on the table? And how likely is a deal before the window closes at 7pm on September 1?

YOANE WISSA

Yoane Wissa (Image: Bradley Collyer/PA) Newcastle’s long-running pursuit of Wissa took yet another twist on Monday when Brentford reportedly slapped a new £60m price tag on the forward’s head.

For all that they remain willing to negotiate, the Magpies’ ownership group will not go anywhere near that figure for a 28-year-old who has entered the final year of his contract at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Sources claim £40m is the absolute upper limit of what Newcastle would be prepared to pay for Wissa, who is regarded as a replacement for Callum Wilson rather than a potential alternative to Alexander Isak, and even a deal that price would have to feature a number of add-ons to take the final price to that level.

Wissa is desperate to move to Tyneside, having effectively downed tools in protest at what he regards as Brentford’s failure to adhere to promises made last summer. Brentford have completed the signing of Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth, but he has been bought to replace Bryan Mbeumo. Before sanctioning Wissa’s exit, the Bees would want to have another signing in place.

GONCALO RAMOS

Goncalo Ramos (Image: PA Wire) Ramos is being considered as a potential replacement for Isak. The Paris St Germain striker has been the subject of conflicting reports from France, with some media outlets claiming he would be willing to move to Newcastle, where he would be pretty much guaranteed to lead the line, and others claiming he would prefer to remain with PSG, where his chances of winning more silverware would almost certainly be higher.

Even if Newcastle were to move for Ramos, they would encounter two major hurdles. The first is a financial one, with Ramos’ current contract at the Parc des Princes containing a €120m (£104m) release clause. The Magpies would almost certainly have to pay that full sum to sign him, and would also have to break their current wage ceiling to match what Ramos is currently earning in France.

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The second problem is that PSG do not really want to sell Ramos, who started their 1-0 win at Nantes on Sunday on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season. Newcastle have not held any formal discussions with the PSG hierarchy – if they do, they will not be straightforward talks.

JORGEN STRAND LARSEN

Jorgen Strand Larsen (Image: PA Wire) Larsen’s name features on the relatively small list of forwards Newcastle are currently considering. There has been preliminary contact with Wolves, via intermediaries, over the striker, but the Magpies have not yet indicated a firm desire to table a formal bid.

Larsen is Premier League ready, having scored 14 goals in 35 top-flight games last season, and is understood to have indicated that would be keen to move to Newcastle and play in the Champions League. However, the Norwegian has also insisted he will not be agitating to leave Molineux.

A potential price for the 25-year-old has not be discussed, but it cost Wolves £23m to turn Strand Larsen’s initial loan deal from Celta Vigo into a permanent transfer earlier this summer, on top of an initial £2.5m loan fee. Clearly, Wolves would be wanting significantly more than that to move him on again.

NICOLAS JACKSON

Nicolas Jackson (Image: PA Wire) Jackson will almost certainly leave Chelsea before the end of the month, with the Blues having signed both Joao Pedro and Liam Delap this summer. While the Senegal international’s current employers were quoting sky-high fees earlier in the summer, the latest suggestion is that they are now willing to do business for around £50m.

That price tag might appeal to Newcastle. Jackson looked far from a natural finisher at times last season, but he was extremely highly-rated when he joined Chelsea from Villarreal in 2023.

With his price dropping, though, Jackson is attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere. Both Aston Villa and AC Milan have been linked in the last 24 hours, so if Newcastle are to make a move of their own, they will almost certainly have to do so soon.

SAMU AGHEHOWA

Newcastle have held preliminary talks with Porto over Aghehowa, a 21-year-old who scored 27 goals in all competitions for his Portuguese employers last season, including two at the Club World Cup. As things stand, though, their interest in the youngster in hold.

That is primarily because they feel Porto’s £80m asking price for such an inexperienced player is unrealistic. Aghehowa has only played two seasons of senior football, and while the Spaniard, who started his career with Granada, is undoubtedly a huge talent, his signing for such a sky-high fee would represent a major gamble.

Another issue emerged last night when Aghehowa suffered a muscular injury during the first half of Porto’s 2-0 win over Gil Vicente.  The injury is not thought to be extremely serious, but it forced his departure on the half-hour mark and could well make Newcastle even more wary of making a move this month.