Lee Charnley And Steve McClaren Call Board Meeting As Newcastle Search For Transfer Breakthrough

The transfer window is now officially open and the off-season is close to 40 days old but Newcastle United are yet to make a signing - and so Lee Charnley has called a board meeting in order to thrash out the club's strategy for the rest of the summer. Managing director Charnley will meet up with head coach Steve McClaren, club ambassador Bobby Moncur and chief scout Graham Carr on Wednesday and talk through how Newcastle can finally break their summer transfer duck, according to the Shields Gazette. Queens Park Rangers' Charlie Austin, Anderlecht's Aleksandar Mitrovic and Wolfsburg's Bas Dost top the Magpies' striking wishlist, while Monaco's Aymen Abdennour and Schalke 04's Joel Matip are two central-defensive reinforcements the club are looking at.

In addition, Newcastle have also explored the possibility of signing Florian Thauvin from Marseille - a winger Carr has tracked for a number of seasons - as they look to recruit at least six players this summer. But as of yet there are no incomings at St James' Park, with just nine days until the Magpies take to the field for the first pre-season match against Gateshead. McClaren is the only Premier League head coach to be on his club's board, yet Newcastle have failed to recruit a single player this summer. He has, however, met up with his squad for the first time on Wednesday at the club's Benton training base for the beginning of pre-season training.

Newcastle would love to be able to showcase a couple of new signings at the International Stadium - and McClaren certainly wants time to bed any recruits into his squad - but the club have found this transfer window to be frustrating to date. The squad fly out to the USA for a three-match pre-season tour after the Heed match as well, so transfers need to start arriving soon. Charnley will need to loosen the pursestrings and get the chequebook out though - because the majority of Newcastle's top targets would cost upwards of £10 million-£12 million. The time for talking is over. Newcastle must now act. Charnley, over to you... For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.