Newcastle United wanted Bryan Mbeumo and, by all accounts, believed the Cameroonian would be just as keen to move to St James’ Park. This was before Manchester United made its interest known in Mbeumo with the Brentford attacker now seemingly on his way to Old Trafford. Newcastle quickly ditched its effort to sign the 25-year-old.

The Magpies had also been linked with Matheus Cunha before being beaten to the punch on the signing of the Brazilian by Manchester United. A trend is developing of Newcastle losing out on its summer transfer targets to rivals that have more Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) headroom on the balance sheet.

This is shaping up to be a pivotal summer for Newcastle. Last season was a positive one as Eddie Howe’s team won the Carabao Cup and finished in the Premier League’s top five to qualify for next season’s Champions League. In theory, this should give Newcastle a platform to build on as the Saudi-owned club moves towards being an English soccer superpower.

In Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, Newcastle has three players it can continue to build around. In other areas of the squad, though, Howe needs reinforcements to push his team higher up the Premier League table next season. This is where this summer’s transfer business will be key.

Joao Pedro is reportedly a target for the Magpies. The Brazilian enjoyed a positive 2024/25 campaign for Brighton and has been linked with Liverpool. With the Premier League champions currently moving for Florian Wirtz, though, Newcastle could get a deal done for Pedro first. The race is on for the Brighton attacker’s signature.

Pedro is talented, but doesn’t fill an obvious hole in Newcastle’s team. He is most comfortable in a central position where the Magpies are already strong. Right wing, where Mbeumo operates, is a greater need, and Pedro is capable of playing there, but Newcastle’s summer strategy so far has been somewhat scattergun.

There is still plenty time for Newcastle to implement its summer transfer plans, although the departure of Paul Mitchell as the club’s sporting director won’t have helped matters. The Magpies have gone through two sporting directors, including Dan Ashworth, in the space of two years and so it’s under surprising that their transfer strategy is somewhat garbled.

Newcastle is technically the richest club in the world such is its backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), but progress to date has been slow due to the Premier League’s PSR and other factors. This summer, however, presents an opportunity to accelerate growth.