Newcastle "Close" To Signings, Say McClaren As Magpies Aim To Complete Double Anderlecht Raid

Newcastle United look set to complete their double raid of Belgian side Anderlecht within the next couple of days by bringing forward Aleksandar Mitrovic and defender Chancel Mbemba to St James' Park in a deal worth around £20.3 million. Mitrovic, 20, will sign for the Magpies in a £12.3 million deal after Newcastle held off competition from the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City, Roma and Porto for the Serbian international - with head coach Steve McClaren confirming the club are "close" to getting new recruits through the door. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Mbemba looks set to arrive for a fee in the region of £7 million (‚ 10 million) as the Magpies aim to make their first defensive recruit of the summer, with more potentially to follow as they look to shore up a backline that conceded an eye-watering 61 Premier League goals last season.

Both look set to sign five-year deals at Newcastle and will join up with the Magpies squad when they return from their pre-season tour later this week. The pair join £14.5 million summer recruit Georginio Wijnaldum on Tyneside as McClaren longs to really strengthen his Newcastle squad going forward. McClaren, quoted in the Shields Gazette, said when asked about the Mitrovic speculation:

"I think we're very, very close (to signings). "There's a lot of speculation. "Certainly, from the feedback from back home, we're working very hard to bring one or two more players in."

Magpies supporters are in disbelief due to the fact they were the only Premier League club prior to these three deals yet to make a signing this summer - but after these two are finalised then Newcastle will have spent upwards of £30 million on three players, which displays a real statement of intent. Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, Benfica, Porto and Chelsea had also been credited with an interest in Mitrovic, but Newcastle have won the race for the striker€™s signature. Porto even tried to hijack the transfer at the 11th hour with a bid bankrolled by investment firm Doyen Sports, but they could not get the funds together in time with the Magpies' deal too far down the line already.

Newcastle boss McClaren is looking to recruit at least two strikers this summer, with the Magpies believed to have turned their attentions now to Queens Park Rangers forward Charlie Austin, with Wolfsburg's Bas Dost a back-up option. Mitrovic himself has netted 44 goals in 90 matches for Anderlecht, and has a career total of 69 strikes from 158 games. Democratic Republic of Congo international Memba was also being chased by Atletico Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg - but Newcastle won the race of his suitors. The defender has been linked with the Magpies in the past, and the six-foot-tall full-back-cum-centre-back has already been capped 16 times by the Democratic Republic of Congo at the tender age of 20 and he looks set to become a real superstar.

There have been controversies over his age, however, with his date of birth having been registered as both August 8th 1988, as well as August 8th 1994. In fact, allegations arose back in 2013 that he did actually have €œfour separate birth dates€ registered with different organisations, and with FIFA that birth date makes him 20. Versatile enough to be able to cover at centre-back, the defender would be able to fill in for a number of positions at St James€™ Park, which made him an attractive option. Mbemba has made 56 league appearances since progressing into the first-team at Anderlecht back in 2012, scoring six times, and he has won both the Belgian Pro title and the Belgian Super Cup (twice). CLICK HERE to read "17 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Aleksandar Mitrovic".For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.