Newcastle United’s summer transfer window has been defined by painful departures and a scramble to rebuild attacking depth under Eddie Howe.
Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have both left St James’ Park, joining Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, dealing significant blows to Howe’s squad options.
Bruno Guimarães has also been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, with the Brazilian international even publicly stating his desire to join the Gunners this window.
Despite substantial funds returning to Tyneside, the Magpies have repeatedly missed out on primary transfer targets during what has been a turbulent summer for the club.
Newcastle did manage to secure one exciting addition, with Bazoumana Touré arriving from Hoffenheim in a deal reported to be worth £42m, representing a significant investment in a 20-year-old.
The Ivorian international featured 30 times in the Bundesliga last season, scoring five goals and registering nine assists, a combined tally that actually surpassed the recently departed Gordon.
Touré also completed 1.8 successful dribbles and 1.7 chances created per 90, while his 4.9 ball recoveries per 90 underlines his quality both on and off the ball.
Despite that promising arrival, Newcastle are believed to still be pursuing further reinforcements in attacking areas, with RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa continuing to be strongly linked with a move to Tyneside.
Corriere della Sera, reported via Sport Witness, confirmed that Roma are also keen on the Norwegian, but Newcastle are currently leading the race for his signature.
The same report claims RB Leipzig are reluctant to sell this summer but could consider offers in the region of €60m, approximately £51m, for the 21-year-old attacker.
Nusa’s statistics in the Bundesliga significantly outperform Touré’s across several key metrics, including a dribble success rate of 3.2 per 90, ranking him above 95% of attackers in Europe’s top five leagues.
His tally of 2.1 chances created per 90 further demonstrates his threat in advanced areas, with the Norwegian widely regarded as a potential starting left-winger at St James’ Park.
Both Nusa and Touré featured at the World Cup for their respective nations, though it was the Leipzig forward who produced stronger performances in the United States.
Nusa’s displays at the tournament backed up the praise from Antonio Mango, who labelled him a “phenomenal” talent capable of performing at the highest level.
Signing Nusa for £51m would represent another bold statement of intent from Newcastle’s hierarchy, giving Howe the additional attacking quality he has been pushing for this summer.