Newcastle eyeing move to sign future "£100m-plus footballer" who Howe loves
da imperador bet： Already thinking about 2026 targets, Newcastle United have reportedly set their sights on signing a Premier League rival who Eddie Howe is a huge fan of.
Newcastle handed early Barcelona boost
da esoccer bet： Ahead of Thursday’s clash against Barcelona, Newcastle have already been handed a major boost when it comes to team news. After missing their game against Valencia at the weekend, Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of Barcelona’s trip to St James’ Park and will not travel with Hansi Flick’s squad.
The 18-year-old, who is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, would have been playing in England for the first time, but will now have to wait for his chance to send the same statement that he’s been sending ever since stepping foot on the biggest stage.
That said, Howe recently admitted that as much as Yamal’s absence could provide Newcastle with a boost this Thursday, he relishes playing the best players and best teams.
The Newcastle boss told reporters: “Whenever I get asked these types of questions my answer’s always the same – you want to play the best teams, you want to play against the best players, and you want to challenge yourselves as much as you can.
“But in saying that, we also want to win. We’ll take whoever they play. We know they’ve got world-class players in every position, so it’s irrelevant to a degree who is out there.”
It’s the first time in over 22 years that Barcelona will square off against Newcastle and a lot has changed in that time, both on and off the pitch. Away from the action, the Magpies are arguably in a position to compete against the Spanish giants financially and they could prove that by signing a Premier League rival in 2026.
Newcastle eyeing Kobbie Mainoo move
According to talkSPORT, Newcastle are now eyeing a move to sign Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United in 2026. The midfielder has found himself in a frustrating position at Old Trafford after being denied the chance to leave on loan in the summer. Instead, forced to compete for a place in a World Cup year, he’s been left to watch on from Ruben Amorim’s bench in controversial fashion.
Just how long a player of Mainoo’s talent will settle for his current position is the big question. Howe is reportedly a huge admirer of the midfielder and Newcastle could test United’s resolve if they continue to leave their academy graduate out in the cold.
It wasn’t so long ago that Mainoo was scoring the winning goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup final and arguably in better form than anyone else in a Man United shirt. Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes even went as far as to describe the 20-year-old as “special” while he was labelled as a future “£100m-plus footballer” by United writer Alex Turk.
It remains unclear why Amorim has not handed him the chances that Erik ten Hag did, but Mainoo shouldn’t wait around to find out. Represented by the same agent as Nick Pope, the young star should jump at the chance if Newcastle come calling.