Newcastle have identified four Manchester United players who could be targeted as part of their January transfer spending spree, according to stunning reports.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, completed a whopping £305m takeover of Newcastle on Thursday.
The Saudi Arabian-backed takeover was welcomed by Newcastle fans after it ended Mike Ashley's 14-year ownership of the Premier League club.
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Now, Newcastle’s new owners are expected to waste no time in adding funds to the club’s war chest and embark on a spending spree in January.
According to reports, the Magpies could splash out a whopping £190m in the upcoming window in a bid to reinforce their squad.
The Manchester Evening News reports that a United quartet has emerged on Newcastle’s transfer wishlist.
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Anthony Martial, who rejected a move to Lyon in the summer on deadline day, is one of the targets for Newcastle in January.
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Joining Martial on Newcastle’s radar is Jesse Lingard, whose current United deal will expire in 2022.
Both Lingard and Martial are battling for minutes at Old Trafford this season and could leave United in a bid to secure more regular first-team football.
Donny van de Beek, who has been heavily linked with Everton, has endured a disappointing spell at United and could be offered a way out by Newcastle.
Newcastle are expected to reinforce their defensive options and Eric Bailly, who has fallen down the pecking order after Raphael Varane’s arrival, is the final member of the United quartet on the club’s wishlist.
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Aaron Ramsey, James Tarkowski and Wilfried Zaha have all been subjected to intense speculation linking them with the Magpies since the PIF-led consortium purchased the club.
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Amanda Staveley helped broker the PIF’s acquisition of Newcastle from Ashley, with the Magpies now having the world’s richest owners.
She was asked about the idea of Newcastle targeting big names like Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, who is free to speak with foreign clubs in January ahead of his contract expiring.
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Staveley told The Daily Mirror: “We are in the market to compete for world-class players, we have done it before.
“But we need the infrastructure around the world-class players. We will get there, and we already have world-class players, we want to make sure they have the support around them.
“You do need a big balance sheet in football, but we are not here to be irrational, it is a state investment fund and there to look after the people.
“We have to do a full review, where the operations are, what we are looking at in January, but it is going to take a little time.”
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek, Eric Bailly, Manchester United, Premier League