According to The Telegraph, Newcastle United are discussing a move for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in the January transfer window.
The Magpies are struggling to maintain their high expectations in the Premier League already this season and after failing to pick up a single win in their last five games, have fallen into 12th place.
Their third defeat of the campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend put them even further adrift from their season target to finish in a European qualification spot, and supporters are starting to get impatient with the performances.
Indeed, it has not been easy for Eddie Howe with numerous injury issues plaguing his opportunity to deploy some of his most influential players, but lessons from last season were not learned during the summer transfer window, which has led to the increasing frustration from fans.
New sporting director Paul Mitchell inherited an admittedly poor recruitment strategy when joining the North East outfit, and an unsuccessful chase for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi was a prime example of the tunnel vision and time-wasting efforts seen this summer.
It has been heavily reported in recent weeks that the priorities have drastically changed from bolstering the defensive line to targeting a right winger to improve the attacking threat for the second half of the season.
Newcastle have managed to score just nine goals so far over their nine league games, which is incredibly low considering the amount of quality they possess in their forward line.
Alexander Isak has not been able to hit the ground running in his performances so far, and has already suffered an injury issue which left Howe with no choice but to move Anthony Gordon into the centre-forward role due to Callum Wilson’s continued absence.
If reports from The Telegraph are to be believed this week, Newcastle have now identified their ideal target in the January transfer window and will make a beeline to snatch Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in the new year.
The publication claims that the Magpies are already discussing the potential opportunity to sign the Brentford star when the transfer market opens, but with financial restrictions still plaguing the club, it will be a challenge to make a lucrative offer to the West London club.
Will Newcastle sign Bryan Mbeumo in January?
It is no secret that Newcastle have been desperate need of improvements on their right flank, with Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy not possessing the quality to provide regular goal contributions.
The duo who compete for the first-team position on the right flank have managed just 21 goal contributions combined over the last 18 months in all competitions, with neither scoring a single goal this season so far.
There were opportunities to offload Almiron in the summer, but offers made were not deemed valuable enough to part ways with the Paraguayan in the latter stages of the summer transfer window.
Considering the poor attacking performances witnessed on Tyneside this season, it is now imperative for the club to take direct action and bolster that right wing position with a prolific and creative goal-scorer who offers not only outstanding finishing abilities, but can bring the attacking threat back to life, to ensure the other forwards can also contribute to a higher level.
Over nine Premier League appearances, Mbeumo – hailed the ‘dream target’ for Newcastle by iNews journalist Mark Douglas – has scored eight goals and created five big chances for the Bees, with only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (11) scoring more league goals so far this season.
Although it would be considered less challenging and likely cheaper to acquire a winger from outside of the Premier League, Newcastle have no time to waste in strengthening their attacking prowess this season and will need someone with a wealth of experience in the top flight to hit the ground running and essentially save their season.
With that being said, it is reported that Brentford would demand £50m to part ways with their 25-year-old goal machine in January, so the Geordies will need to either commit to high investment into the right winger role, or move on quickly to acquire a cheaper option elsewhere.