Eddie Howe is confident Newcastle’s ambition can keep the club’s sought-after big names on Tyneside.

Record signing Alexander Isak’s blistering run of goalscoring form has this week seen him linked with North London duo Arsenal and Tottenham, while Paris St Germain have repeatedly been touted as suitors for Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

The Magpies’ hopes of securing a second successive season of Champions League football have been all but mathematically dashed during a campaign which has been littered with long-term injuries, but head coach Howe hopes the direction being taken by the club’s Saudi-backed owners will be enough to persuade his star men to stay with the project.

Asked if European qualification would help that process, he said: “It will help, but I don’t think it will be the defining factor. That’s in the players’ hands and the club’s hands. Europe would certainly help.

“A lot will depend on our ambitions and where the club is going to go in the foreseeable future. I don’t think one season necessarily dictates that, it’s the general feeling of where the club is going to go.

“We as a football club need to continue to push forward. You set your ambitions not just in terms of talking, but in actions, so we need to show to them that we are a club moving forward.”

Isak, who cost Newcastle £63million when he joined from Real Sociedad in 2022, will head for Fulham on Saturday with 19 goals to his name, while Guimaraes has established himself as a fans’ favourite at St James’ Park since his £35million capture from Lyon in January of the same year.

Both have become key figures in Howe’s strongest team, and the 46-year-old has little intention of letting either leave this summer despite the perception from outside the club that he may need to sell to comply with profit and sustainability rules.

Asked if he feared a transfer window of fending off approaches, he said: “I don’t fear that. In some senses, that’s what you want because it means your players are playing at a level that everyone appreciates and I want my players – all of them – to be playing above what they think they’re capable of being.

“So no, I don’t think fear is the right word. I want Alex to keep scoring goals, I want him to keep being in the headlines – I’m sure he wants the same thing – but we want to keep him long-term.”

On Guimaraes, he added: “Let me tell you, players like Bruno, they are not around every corner. They are very rare. Bruno should be appreciated for everything he brings. My intention would be to keep Bruno at the club for as long as we possibly can.

“I can never make guarantees though. That would be absolutely foolish of me. We have been in football long enough to know you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow.”

What the papers say

Bruno Guimaraes could be on the way out at Newcastle in an effort to satisfy Premier League financial rules. According to The Sun, club bosses believe they will face an uphill battle to keep the midfielder, with French giants Paris St Germain leading the chase for his signature.

The Evening Standard says Manchester United have commenced discussions about signing Nice defender Melvin Bard. The 23-year-old is said to be on the verge of a call up for France, and has emerged as an ideal candidate for the Red Devils as they look to bolster their squad with a new left-back.

Leeds are eyeing a return for Kalvin Phillips the Daily Star reports. The midfielder has made just six starts for Manchester City since making a £50million move to the Etihad from Leeds back in 2022. He is currently on loan at West Ham, but it is believed City would be willing to sell him for around £25m, with Leeds among his potential suitors – pending their promotion.

And The Times says Wolves defender Max Kilman is on Manchester United’s summer transfer shortlist.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Dani Ceballos: Newcastle are interested in the Real Madrid midfielder, Mundo Deportivo reports.

Viktor Gyokeres: Caught Offside says the Sporting Lisbon forward is high on Arsenal’s list of striker options.

Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer was fined six weeks’ wages on this day in 2005 for fighting with team-mate Kieron Dyer during a 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa.

Bowyer appeared to be the aggressor in the extraordinary scenes at St James’ Park, resulting in the England midfielder being severely censured by his club and warned as to his future conduct.

Both players were sent off and Bowyer was banned for six games by the Football Association as well as being fined by the governing body, lifting the total amount of fines he paid for the incident to £280,000.

Northumbria Police pressed charges and in 2006 Newcastle magistrates issued a £600 fine and ordered Bowyer to pay £1,000 in costs for the offence of “causing harassment, alarm or distress”.

“A moment of madness. Do I regret it? Of course I do. Nobody wants to do that, especially on the big stage, but it’s passion,” said Bowyer when reflecting on the incident in 2022.

“Obviously people have opinions and it goes from one extreme to another, everyone puts two pence in – all of a sudden it was me and Kieron hated each other, but that wasn’t the case.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is determined to keep hold of the “limitless potential” of in-form striker Alexander Isak.

The 24-year-old Sweden international scored his 19th goal of the season and his eighth in nine Premier League outings in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Everton hours after headlines suggested North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are ready to battle it out for his signature this summer.

However, the Magpies’ head coach is determined to hang on to his £63million record signing, who arrived on Tyneside during the summer of 2022 after learning his trade at AIK Solna, Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad in Spain.

Asked about Isak, Howe said: “For me, Alex has limitless potential.

“You’ve got someone who has had really good experiences in his career. He’s travelled as a young player and had some experience of different leagues.

“He’s come to us at a really good time of his career where we can help him, develop his talents and give him a platform to show how good he is.

“At the moment, he’s building in confidence all the time. He’s a high-level player and we’re delighted to have him with us.”

Newcastle’s challenges in complying with spending rules, which prompted chief executive Darren Eales to admit earlier this season that they may have to trade players to recruit, has led to speculation that some of the club’s biggest names could be sold.

However, asked about Isak’s future, Howe said: “You have to try to keep your best players. Whether you’re able to do that continually with the rules that are in place at the moment, that’s always unsure.

“I’m not in control of that, but from my perspective, to be the team that we want to be, we have to keep our best players and keep improving.”

Isak’s latest contribution to the black and white cause looked to have secured another three points until substitute Paul Dummett wrestled Ashley Young to the ground to hand Dominic Calvert-Lewin the chance to level from the penalty spot, which he did with two minutes remaining.

The England striker had been thrown on along with Andres Gomes and James Garner with 61 minutes gone with the visitors’ bench significantly stronger than that available to Howe, who confirmed Tino Livramento and Miguel Almiron will both be sidelined by injury for around a month.

Opposite number Sean Dyche was delighted with the impact of his substitutes on a night when Everton’s run without a Premier League win was extended to a club record 13 games.

He said: “It’s a squad mentality. We’ve been trying to build that at the club since I’ve come along really. I reminded them of that and how important it is. ‘Be the person who makes the difference’ is what I always say to them, and it rubs off.

“Second-half particularly, it looked like everyone was making a difference and that’s the feeling we’ve got to maintain. We’ve got to keep on with that and find that consistency to keep taking these games on and the wins will come.”

Sean Dyche hailed Everton’s second-half “edge” as they came from behind to rescue a valuable point in a 1-1 draw at Newcastle.

The Magpies went ahead through Alexander Isak’s first-half strike, but spurned a number of opportunities before Everton struck back in the latter stages.

Paul Dummett’s challenge on Ashley Young saw the Toffees awarded a penalty in the 87th minute and after a VAR check, substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped up to slot home from the spot.

A draw still hands Everton an unwanted record of 13 Premier League games without a win, but Dyche believes his side secured a “good point” on the road.

He said: “I thought it was a pretty decent performance, but at half-time I mentioned that edge and how we turn that into a winning performance and I thought second half was a very valid attempt to do that.

“We didn’t get the win but we get a good point on the road in the Premier League, it’s always important.

“The penalty of course, we’ve only had one this season, should have had another one Saturday but we didn’t get that.

“I don’t know why they have to look at that a hundred times, it’s absolutely bizarre because I’ve seen it back and it gets given straight away.

“Anyway, they did get to the right decision so we’re pleased with that, and Dom put it away so we’re pleased for him as well.”

It was only Calvert-Lewin’s fourth goal of the season in the Premier League, but Dyche praised the forward for his hard work.

“It changes the noise around him, he’s been working hard, Beto has also worked hard as well,” Dyche added.

“We’re asking a lot of them two at the moment, but I thought they did well and he deserves the fact he’s keeping at it.

“It must have been a nervous penalty for him because there’s a lot of noise about him not having scored, you haven’t done this, you haven’t done that, but I thought he delivered it well.”

Newcastle looked to be heading for a second win in four days when Isak fired them into the lead with his 19th goal of the season.

But having seen James Tarkowski rattle his own post, Dan Burn have a goal ruled out for offside and Vitaly Mykolenko clear an Isak shot off the line, the visitors finished strongly.

James Garner had already hit the woodwork when they got their reward from the spot.

Asked about his overriding emotion after the game, Magpies head coach Eddie Howe said: “Definitely frustrated.

“I thought we needed that second goal. It looked like we’d got it on a couple of occasions – of course, the VAR one was really, really tight and then Alex’s chance looked a big moment in the game.

“At 1-0, Everton were never out of it. They’ve hit the post themselves and of course the penalty is probably the big moment.”

The spot-kick was awarded after referee Tony Harrington was advised to review a tussle between Dummett and Young, and Howe had few complaints.

He said: “When you look at it back – which I have very quickly – both players are grappling each other initially, but I think it’s just the height of Paul’s arm around Ashley’s neck that swings it against us.

“Probably if the boot’s on the other foot, I’m wanting a pen for that.”

Dominic Calvert-Lewin came off the bench to deny Newcastle victory but could not spare Everton an unwanted record of 13 Premier League games without victory.

The England international converted an 87th-minute penalty – his first goal since October – to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half opener and secure a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park as the Magpies were made to pay for missed chances.

Dan Burn had seen a second-half strike ruled out for offside after a VAR review and both sides were denied by the woodwork and ultimately neither got what they really needed.

Having lost Tino Livramento, Jamaal Lascelles and Miguel Almiron to injury and Anthony Gordon to suspension, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was forced to make changes.

Loan signing Lewis Hall was handed just a second league start as he, Emil Krafth, Elliot Anderson and Saturday’s match-winner Harvey Barnes were drafted in.

An Everton side bolstered by the inclusion of Vitaly Mykolenko, Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Young and Beto found itself under early pressure and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to make a vital block from Barnes with less than two minutes gone.

Gueye smashed a left-foot shot over after Dwight McNeil had expertly controlled Pickford’s long ball and squared, and James Tarkowski powered a header just too high from a McNeil free-kick as the Toffees responded.

However, it was the Magpies who took the lead with 15 minutes gone when Barnes lifted the ball over the top for Isak, who cut inside Jarrad Branthwaite and evaded the covering Tarkowski before drilling a low shot past the helpless Pickford.

Jacob Murphy blasted a 28th-minute drive just over as the Everton defence retreated in front of him, but Beto sliced an attempt horribly wide and Abdoulaye Doucoure curled a 43rd-minute shot into Martin Dubravka’s waiting arms at the other end.

Pickford blocked Murphy’s volley with his legs after Hall had floated a cross beyond the far post and Isak blasted just too high in stoppage time as Newcastle headed in at the break in control but knowing there was work still to be done.

Tarkowski was relieved to see his attempted clearance from a Murphy corner come back off the frame of his own goal, and the Magpies thought they had extended their lead with 58 minutes gone when Isak turned Murphy’s quickly-taken free-kick across goal and Burn fired home, but a VAR check ruled that the Sweden international had been offside.

The visitors came desperately close to an equaliser with 66 minutes gone when substitute James Garner turned smartly and fired beyond Dubravka only to see his effort come back off the foot of a post.

Mykolenko headed Isak’s goal-bound shot off the line and Barnes blazed across the face of goal in quick succession and although Dubravka palmed away Young’s well-struck shot, Pickford had to save from Bruno Guimaraes seconds later.

However, the Toffees were handed a way back into the game with just three minutes remaining when referee Tony Harrington was advised to review substitute Paul Dummett’s clumsy challenge on Young and Calvert-Lewin duly obliged from the spot.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has vowed not to give up on the race for European football in the face of a seemingly unending injury crisis.

The Magpies boosted their hopes of securing a top six finish with Saturday’s remarkable 4-3 victory over West Ham, a game in which they trailed 3-1 with just 13 minutes remaining.

It came at a cost, though, with skipper Jamaal Lascelles rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury which could sideline him for up to nine months.

Lascelles is Howe’s latest long-term casualty, but as he prepared for Tuesday night’s home clash with Everton, the head coach was refusing to throw in the towel.

He said: “There was always that feeling that the season was alive but, of course, you have to win games and the more you don’t win, the more the season slips away very quickly.

“We know the quality of the league and we know how difficult it is to win consistently, but that’s what we’re chasing now.”

Lascelles’ misfortune represents a huge blow, coming less than a fortnight after fellow central defender Sven Botman was ruled out for a similar period with a similar injury.

It is the latest long-term injury blow for a club which has suffered more than its fair share this season.

Keeper Nick Pope – who is still sidelined – and frontman Jacob Murphy have dislocated shoulders, defender Dan Burn broke a bone in his back, Joelinton damaged a thigh tendon, Joe Willock sat out extended periods with hamstring and Achilles injuries and striker Callum Wilson is currently recovering from pectoral muscle surgery.

Harvey Barnes, whose two goals as a substitute on Saturday ultimately saw off the Hammers, spent four and a half months in the treatment room with a toe injury before his return to action last month, while Emil Krafth, Matt Targett and Elliot Anderson, as well as the suspended Sandro Tonali, have all missed significant periods.

However, what has not changed is the spirit within a squad which is battling to stay in the mix for European football against all the odds, a quality which was very much to the fore at the weekend.

Howe said: “I always say the team is made up of the character of the players, and you could see the character shining through because I think without that, we were dead and buried and we wouldn’t have come back in the manner that we did.

“The spirit is still there and that’s the most important thing beyond anything. If you have spirit, you have a chance.”

Newcastle head into the Everton came sitting in eighth place in the table, five points behind Manchester United in sixth with doubts over Tino Livramento and Miguel Almiron, who limped off at the weekend with ankle and knee injuries respectively, but hopeful that Kieran Trippier could return from a calf problem.

Burn, Krafth or Paul Dummett could plug the gap left by Lascelles in central defence with summer signing Lewis Hall, who has impressed in his most recent appearances as a substitute, a candidate to take over at left-back should Burn get the nod in the middle.

Eddie Howe praised saviour Harvey Barnes after he came off the bench to drag Newcastle from the jaws of defeat to a remarkable Premier League victory over West Ham.

The Magpies were trailing 3-1 at St James’ Park when £38million summer signing Barnes was introduced as a 67th-minute replacement for injured substitute Miguel Almiron and 23 madcap minutes later, he scored the second of two goals to secure a stunning 4-3 win.

Head coach Howe said: “Harvey deserves that. The thing with Harvey is that he’s a goalscorer. He does score goals. You look at his statistics and his record, and it’s incredible really for a wide player.

“You just look at the amount of goals he got last season for Leicester. We felt, signing him, that he could get similar numbers for us. He’s just been struck by injuries, and he’s had a difficult start to his Newcastle career.

“But the quality is undoubtedly there and I thought the two finishes today were typical Harvey. It wasn’t easy to score the first one – although it was a one-on-one, he had a really small part of the goal to aim at and took it brilliantly.

“Then the second one, I hope it will live on for a long time because at 3-3, the ball drops to him on his right foot, but he still has so much to do. It’s a great goal.”

Alexander Isak had fired the Magpies into a sixth-minute lead from the penalty spot, by Michail Antonio’s equaliser and a second from the impressive Mohammed Kudus had the visitors 2-1 ahead at the break.

Jarrod Bowen’s strike three minutes after the restart looked to have won the game, but Isak repeated the dose from the spot with 13 minutes remaining after substitute Kalvin Phillips had tripped Anthony Gordon – who was later sent off for a second bookable offence – to set up a chaotic finish.

Barnes levelled with seven minutes remaining, but saved the best for last when he smashed an unstoppable 90th-minute drive past substitute keeper Lukasz Fabianski to complete the comeback.

Howe said: “It was a brilliant advert for the Premier League, I think, a really good advert for the league in terms of the drama, the changes in the game and the flows in momentum.”

The only down side for Howe was the addition of skipper Jamaal Lascelles, Tino Livramento and Almiron to to an already extensive injury list, while Gordon will be suspended for Tuesday’s clash with former club Everton.

He was at least able to reflect on a spirited fightback and he headed home, in stark contrast to opposite number David Moyes, who had thrown England international Phillips into the mix in an attempt to stem the flow.

Moyes said: “I thought an extra midfield player would give us a bit more control in the middle of the pitch at that time. But obviously it didn’t work.

“At the time, I felt that they were slightly the better team. We were 2-1, we got 3-1 but from that point onwards, we needed to defend well and be stronger and be harder to play against.

“But hey, we scored three, they scored four, we lose the game. We did a lot of good things, certainly going forward. Our attacking play as very good.”

Harvey Barnes came off the bench to fire Newcastle to a remarkable Premier League victory over West Ham as they fought back from two goals down to snatch the points.

The Magpies, who led through Alexander Isak’s sixth-minute penalty, trailed 3-1 with just 13 minutes remaining after Michail Anthony, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen had struck in an incident-packed contest during which referee Rob Jones was at the centre of the action throughout.

However, a second Isak penalty reduced the deficit before Barnes levelled with seven minutes remaining to set up a grandstand finish during which he secured a 4-3 win with a stunning 90th-minute strike, before Anthony Gordon was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Eddie Howe’s men, whose injury problems deepened as they lost skipper Jamaal Lascelles, Tino Livramento and substitute Miguel Almiron, were rewarded for their resilience on a chaotic afternoon, but opposite number David Moyes, who was booked as tempers frayed, was scarcely able to believe what he had seen.

Newcastle could hardly have got off to a better start when they were awarded a penalty for Vladimir Coufal’s clumsy challenge on Gordon after the defender’s pass forward had been picked off by Fabian Schar and the former Everton frontman had carved his way into the area.

Jones pointed to the spot, but Isak had to await the outcome of a VAR check for offside against Gordon before sending keeper Alphonse Areola the wrong way from the spot.

Seconds after Lascelles’ premature departure, Michael Antonio fired a warning shot across Newcastle’s bows when he turned Dan Burn, who had been pushed into central defence as Livramento took over at left-back to accommodate substitute Emil Krafth on the right, but fired over with the Hammers looking the more threatening.

They duly forced their way back into the game with 21 minutes gone when Lucas Paqueta picked out Antonio’s run and he drew keeper Martin Dubravka before finishing emphatically.

Gordon fired straight at Areola after cutting inside from the left and then headed wide from Jacob Murphy’s teasing 36th-minute cross, but it was Bruno Guimaraes who went close deep into first-half stoppage time when his curling attempt came back off the crossbar with Areola beaten.

However, the Hammers went ahead in the 10th minute of added time when, with Schar down, Paqueta was allowed to take a quick free-kick to Bowen, who fed Mohammed Kudus to fire past Dubravka amid furious protests from the home side.

Lukasz Fabianski replaced Areola before the restart and saw his side extend their advantage within three minutes when, after Thomas Soucek had got his head to Murphy’s corner, Kudus evaded Schar’s lunge and squared for Bowen to race from halfway and beat Dubravka despite Gordon’s valiant efforts to get back.

Fabianski easily claimed Guimaraes clipped shot and both Isak and Sean Longstaff stabbed horribly wide as the home side sought a way back into the game before the keeper denied Barnes.

However, Newcastle were awarded a second penalty after a VAR check on substitute Kalvin Phillips’ challenge on Gordon and Isak sent Fabianski the wrong way with an identical spot-kick to give his side hope with 13 minutes remaining.

They were level within six minutes when the Sweden international played Barnes through and he fired between Fabianski’s legs, and there was more to come in the final minute of normal time when Gordon, who was later dismissed after kicking the ball away, fed Barnes and he stepped inside before drilling an unstoppable shot beyond Fabianski’s despairing dive.

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has urged the Football Association not to “throw the book” at midfielder Sandro Tonali after charging him with further betting offences.

The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month worldwide ban imposed by the Italian Football Federation in October after he admitted breaking gambling rules, is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12 and October 12 last year.

However, Howe, who has been without his £55million summer signing from AC Milan since October, is hoping English football’s governing body will not impose further stringent punishment on a player whose agent, Giuseppe Riso, has insisted is battling a “gambling addiction”.

Howe said: “The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way, not ‘let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’ because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem.

“We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”

Asked if he was worried Tonali, who has until April 5 to respond, could be handed a consecutive ban to run after the existing penalty has come to an end, Howe added: “We don’t know, is the honest answer. I certainly hope for Sandro that there are no further consequences.

“He has suffered during this period, he has sought help, he’s been very honest, he has admitted he has an issue, and I think the best thing for Sandro would be to resume his career having taken his punishment and having learned a lot of lessons from this.”

Tonali’s initial 18-month suspension was reduced by eight months on condition that he underwent treatment for his addiction and made 16 public appearances in Italy to talk to young players about the dangers of gambling.

He is currently allowed to train with Newcastle, who face West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, but cannot play again until the end of August.

Asked how Tonali is dealing with the situation, Howe said: “He is seeking help on a regular basis. This is something that won’t go away for him, so he has regular meetings in Italy and in England to deal with the problems that he has.

“But I have to say mentally, he’s been very good in his training sessions, he’s been very good off the pitch. He’s been a brilliant team-mate to the people here and supporting team-mates and training really well to set a positive example.

“His English has improved a lot as well, which has been great. He can communicate now really well with his team-mates, which is such an important thing.

“I’m really positive about his comeback, whenever that is, that he’ll have a huge impact on the team.”

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules, the FA has announced.

Tonali is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023.

The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month ban for betting offences while playing in Italy, has until April 5 to respond.

Newcastle said in a statement: “Newcastle United acknowledges a misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali in respect of alleged breaches of FA Betting Rules.

“Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and he retains the club’s full support.

“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”

In October last year Tonali was suspended for 10 months after reaching a plea bargain following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Officer and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

He was also fined 20,000 euros and ordered to partake in an eight-month course of therapy to address his issues after his agent, Giuseppe Riso, said the former AC Milan midfielder was living with a gambling addiction.

Newcastle defender Sven Botman is facing up to nine months on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo knee surgery.

The Magpies have confirmed the 24-year-old Dutchman will undergo a procedure to repair his anterior cruciate ligament next week after limping out of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City.

Botman, a £32million signing from French club Lille during the summer of 2022, had recently returned from a knee injury sustained in September.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Newcastle United defender Sven Botman will undergo surgery next week after suffering a knee injury against Manchester City.

“Following further assessment, a scan has confirmed that he sustained an injury to his ACL during Saturday’s match and he is expected to return to action within six-to-nine months.

“The Dutch centre-back initially sustained a knee injury in September 2023 and elected for a non-surgical rehabilitation plan – a decision which saw him return to action in December.

“Everyone at Newcastle United wishes Sven a full and speedy recovery.”

The news will come as a huge blow to head coach Eddie Howe.

Botman returned to action in December after a lay-off of almost three months, but has struggled to regain the form of his first season on Tyneside, during which he played a key role in the club’s top-four Premier League finish.

He is the latest member of Howe’s squad to face a lengthy lay-off during the campaign with goalkeeper Nick Pope still working his way back from a shoulder injury and midfielder Joelinton and striker Callum Wilson also sidelined for extended periods.

In addition, Emil Krafth, Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes have all endured lengthy spells in the treatment room, with summer signing Sandro Tonali serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations.

What the papers say

Gareth Southgate is the top choice of Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to replace Erik ten Hag as manager in the summer, reports the Star.

According to The Times, Nottingham Forest may be forced to sell star players by the end of June to avoid losing more points for breaching financial rules.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and West Ham are all keen on England striker Ivan Toney, reports The Sun.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jack Grealish: HITC writes that Manchester City might let the England forward leave this summer, with the club understood to be raising funds to boost their squad.

Alexander Isak: The Newcastle and Sweden striker is on Arsenal’s summer shortlist, says Football Insider.

Erling Haaland: The Manchester City striker limped out of training while on international duty with Norway, alarming his club, writes The Guardian.

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing the unwelcome prospect of some potential members of his Euro 2024 squad flying halfway across the world for a post-season friendly.

The PA news agency understands Tottenham will play Premier League rivals Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.

Newcastle’s FA Cup exit last weekend opened the door for the Magpies to face Spurs in a post-season friendly, which will see the two clubs jet off for Australia immediately after their final league game of the season on May 19.

A decision on the squads taken Down Under will be made nearer to the time, but Southgate could see three players potentially in his Euro 2024 squad fly halfway across the world days before they link up on international duty.

Tottenham’s James Maddison and Newcastle attacker Anthony Gordon were named in the England squad for the March friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, while Kieran Trippier is a strong candidate to feature in this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

It is possible all three could jet off to Australia for the post-season friendly and days after they return to England they will be required to join Southgate’s squad for a training camp ahead of Euro 2024.

The Football Association has been approached for comment.

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing the unwelcome prospect of certain members of his Euro 2024 squad flying halfway across the world for a post-season friendly.

The PA news agency understands Tottenham will play Premier League rivals Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.

Newcastle’s FA Cup exit last weekend opened the door for the Magpies to face Spurs in a post-season friendly, which will see the two clubs jet off for Australia immediately after their final league game of the season on May 19.

A decision on the squads taken Down Under will be made nearer to the time, but Southgate could see three players potentially in his Euro 2024 squad fly halfway across the world days before they link up on international duty.

Tottenham’s James Maddison and Newcastle attacker Anthony Gordon were named in the England squad for the March friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, while Kieran Trippier is a strong candidate to feature in this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

It is possible all three could jet off to Australia for the post-season friendly and days after they return to England they will be required to join Southgate’s squad for a training camp ahead of Euro 2024.

The Football Association has been approached for comment.