Newcastle United’s bid to sign the senior centre-forward they so desperately need this summer is likely to take them in various different transfer directions before they get their man.
The market for top-notch strikers is complicated enough without the added difficulties of Rafael Benitez’s future, the takeover rumblings and Mike Ashley’s reluctance to spend big. On anyone.
But Newcastle must go all out to sign a player who will almost certainly be on the substitute’s bench for Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final.
It is familiar territory for Danny Ings, whose lack of game time will surely come to a head when he assesses his future at the end of the campaign.
Since joining from Burnley in the summer of 2015, the 25-year-old has made just 25 appearances, a fair chunk of which have been this season after recovering from the second of two serious knee injuries.
The problem for Ings is that he is not only behind holy trinity Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the pecking order, but also raw youngster Dominic Solanke.
He would be better of spending his prime years at a club where he would be the spearhead of the attack and nailed-on first choice.
There is no shame in taking a step down, and a move to Newcastle would work wonders for both parties.
Ings is a massive upgrade on the current striker roster at United, Joselu, Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic, as well as flop loanee Islam Slimani.
He is mobile, energetic and has an eye for goal, and something to prove after playing second fiddle for so long.
Ings can pilfer 20-plus goals next season for Newcastle and catapult them to a top-eight finish although they will have to at least match his £75,000-a-week salary (source: Spotrac) to get the deal done.
