Newcastle looking at four alternatives after missing out on Johan Manzambi - Report

Newcastle United appear to have accepted defeat in the race for Swiss star Johan Manzambi after it emerged that his likely destination will be Aston Villa.

On Sunday, news broke that Aston Villa had beaten Newcastle to the signing of Manzambi, who has wowed at the World Cup.

However, Aston Villa may not have the finances in place to complete the deal as yet, and a report in iNews claims that Manzambi's representatives have claimed late on Monday morning that the decision isn't yet final.

Still, Newcastle are operating under the assumption that Aston Villa is where he's going, particularly after footage appeared online of him saying as much to Emi Martinez on Sunday.

Newcastle are keen on Danilo and Joao Gomes

Mark Douglas goes on to say in his report that Newcastle have other targets in mind, two of which are known and two are being kept under wraps.

Brazilian midfielder Danilo is a genuine target, while Wolverhampton Wanderers' Joao Gomes is also being looked at. The other options are thought to be in Italy and Germany.

A senior source at the club has said that the club was anticipating a difficult summer, but they have a plan in place.

“We knew there would be points this summer where it would be frustrating, where things might feel difficult. But there’s a bigger plan we are working to – and have to work to.”

Danilo and Ross Wilson have history

We initially took the reports on Danilo with a pinch of salt because the talk was all coming from the player side, but as the iPaper points out, Danilo is well known by Ross Wilson after he'd brought the player to England for Nottingham Forest in 2023.

Joao Gomes is an interesting one, however. We've not seen his name linked before, and the 25-year-old Brazilian is being tracked by Manchester United and Liverpool according to reports, so there's a good chance that an interest is as far as we get with that one.

Newcastle are expecting to bring in three or four more signings before the start of the season, and it's highly likely that at least one of those will come out of nowhere like the Sean Steur deal.

There's a belief that Newcastle are working on several things at once, and some are quite far advanced, but as yet, we've no idea who they are.