Speaking to Football Insider, Darren Bent has suggested that Newcastle United could strengthen their squad during the summer with the purchase of three Bournemouth players.
The Magpies are close to a takeover from PCP Capital Partners, who are backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and there have been suggestions that the club could recruit a number of top-class players.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho are some of the high-profile names , who have been linked but Bent feels the Magpies should also look into the quality Premier League talent available in mid-table sides.
He added to give the example of Bournemouth and highlighted that Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and Nathan Ake could be available for purchase, should the Cherries get relegated from the top-flight this term.
“If the season finishes and Newcastle, which they will do, stay up and you look at the clubs that will go down, Bournemouth for instance, Nathan Ake’s there, he doesn’t want to play in the Championship, Callum Wilson, you’ve got a centre-forward there. Ryan Fraser’s coming out of contract,” He told.
“Callum Wilson’s scored a lot of goals, Ryan Fraser, we know how good he is, Nathan Ake, he’s been courted by loads of the top clubs. These are all signings that would be good for Newcastle and I believe they could get over the line.”
Fraser’s contract with the Cherries expires on June 30 but the club could seek to extend his stay for at least another month, considering the season end has been delayed by the suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, he is expected to leave on a free-agent at the end of the campaign and the Magpies will have to beat off competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in order to lure him to St James’ Park.
Ake and Wilson, on the other hand, have more than two years remaining on their respective contracts with Eddie Howe’s side and the Magpies will need to meet the transfer demands of the south Coast outfit to land their services.
Ake has established himself as one of Bournemouth’s top performers and he has already made 102 appearances for the club in the top-flight, while predominantly featuring at the heart of the defence.
Wilson, meanwhile, has managed to cement his spot in the Cherries frontline after a couple of long-term knee injuries between 2015 and 2017. He has bagged 41 goals and 14 assists from 119 league outings.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
