Newcastle United have been preparing for their long-awaited return to the Champions League this summer and Eddie Howe has been working on identifying new additions that can take his already impressive squad to the next level.
The Magpies quickly confirmed the signing of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali at the beginning of this month and are now set to complete their second signing of the summer, following the imminent departure of French winger Allan Saint-Maximin.
Sky Sports are reporting that Newcastle have agreed a deal with recently-relegated club Leicester City to sign their forward Harvey Barnes in a £38m deal and is thought to be the direct replacement for Saint-Maximin, who will be shortly completing a move to the Saudi Pro League via Al Ahli.
The North East outfit have been battling with Financial Fair Play restrictions throughout the transfer window, however, the exit of their 26-year-old attacker now presents an opportunity to strengthen key positions for Howe, who could now look to steal another relegated star to bolster his options at the other end of the pitch.
Who are Newcastle's transfer targets?
Newcastle have been strongly linked with a move for Southampton full-back Valentino Livramento over the last month, with the former Bournemouth boss keen to add depth in both the wider forward and wider defensive roles.
Football Insider reported on Tuesday that Newcastle are now ready to submit an improved offer on their initial £15m bid that was quickly rejected by his south coast club.
The Tyneside club reportedly remain in talks with Saints and are willing to increase their bid to £25m to secure the services of Livramento before Premier League football resumes next month.
How good is Tino Livramento?
There is no doubt that Livramento – hailed a "talent" by former Spurs ace Ledley King – is one of the top young prospects to drop into the Championship last season, despite missing out on virtually the entire 38-game campaign due to an ACL injury – spending 353 days in recovery.
When reflecting on the full-back's last full season in the Premier League (2021/22), the Cobham academy graduate displayed glimpses of his incredible talent and attacking-minded presence in the defensive set-up at St Mary's.
The 20-year-old ranked in the top 16% of his Premier League positional peers for progressive carries and successful take-ons, as well as ranking in the top 3% for interceptions, as per FBref, which is an impressive feat for a young player in their debut season.
Livramento has, of course, earned high praise for his stand-out performances, with former Saints star Theo Walcott waxing lyrical about the youngster's huge talent and even comparing him to Gareth Bale – who also played as a full-back in the early stages of his career:
"You can just see he's got an aura about him around the place," Walcott told talkSPORT.
"Do you know what, he reminds me a little bit of Gareth when he came through as a full-back.
"That's a big statement of course to compare him to someone like that but just feel like his presence and the way he drives and the pace and the power and it's no surprises that you know what he's going to do.
"He's so strong with the ball and very clever and technically he is fantastic."
Indeed, Howe already has an incredible leader and right-back in Kieran Trippier, however, the England international will turn 33 in the early stages of next season, so it would not only make sense for the club to capture a worthy successor but also a player who can rotate in the role to ensure they can compete in all competitions and avoid injury issues.
With that being said, Livramento would be another great prospect on top of Barnes for the future of Newcastle's squad and could quickly become Howe's next prodigy if he can emulate his performances before his injury issues.