Howe remains desperate to sign a striker this month, with a replacement for Wilson having been a priority since early in the summer.
But Newcastle’s frustrating pursuit of forward targets has continued this week, with Howe admitting on Friday that nothing is “close” as things stand.
That admission from Newcastle’s head coach came just a couple of hours before Brentford boss Keith Andrews confirmed Yoane Wissa is back in training with the Bees.
The Magpies had a £40m bid for Wissa rejected this week and while the forward is understood to be keen on the move to Tyneside, Andrews is still hoping Brentford, who play Aston Villa on Saturday, can keep the 28-year-old.
“He’s been training with the team,” said Brentford’s boss.
“In terms of being involved [against Villa], I’ll make a decision on the squad tomorrow but he’s been part of the group this week.
“He’s a Brentford player right now. My stance around Yoane all along has been I don’t want him to leave.
“That hasn’t changed in any way shape or form. I keep going back to being understanding of his situation but I don’t want to lose a player of that quality.
“Hopefully he’s here in the next 10 days, whatever it is, As a head coach, that’s what I would like.”
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The message is very similar from Wolves, who are determined to keep hold of Jorgen Strand Larsen, another striker on Newcastle’s radar.
“He is a very important player for us – I haven’t spoken with him about it,” said Wolves boss Vitor Pereira of the transfer speculation.
“I watch him in training and he’s committed. He likes to win and he is a fighter. He is preparing himself to play tomorrow against Bournemouth.
“The market is the market. As long as the window is open, players can come and players can leave. This is football.”
A fresh link emerged on Friday, with Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth said to be one striker under consideration at St James’ Park.
However, when asked on Friday morning whether there’s a scenario where Newcastle don’t make any further signings ahead of the September 1 deadline, Howe said: “Yes, of course. I mean, that’s equally possible.
“I think for us, we are still actively in the market but, I say all the time, that any transfer has to be right. And for a number of reasons. With PSR, you’re always trying to manage that situation.
“So, if we make a signing that goes against some of the long-term planning, we can put ourselves in a very difficult position again very, very quickly. So, we have to be careful with what we do.
“Yes, we have a need, but we also can’t allow ourselves to go into a difficult moment where we’re forced to sell a player, as we did with Elliot Anderson and Yakuba Minteh, So, we’re always aware of that. And we’re sort of at that moment where we have to be careful.”
Howe added: “We’re working hard on incomings.
“I wouldn’t say we’re close. We still have a bit of time but that will go very quickly.
“We’re in a position where the squad is in a really good place. We’re still looking to replace Callum Wilson, that’s the big area we’re working on.”
Howe is hoping for a positive final week of what has been a dramatic window.
“I’ll be pleased when it’s here, pleased if we have what we want,” he said.
“Whenever you go through a window there are ups and downs. It feels like there’s been quite a few downs in this one but also quite a few positives as well.
“The players we’ve signed are very good players who will add a lot to the squad. A lot in terms of ability, athleticism, fresh energy I’ve spoken about previously.
“There are big positives for us. Of course there’s one big challenging situation that’s not resolved.
“From that side I can’t wait for the end of the window because we can get back to focusing on the football matches.”
