Newcastle United Already Secured Two Transfers This Summer
Identity of the players will be confirmed once the transfer window officially opens on July 1st.
Romain Amalfitano. The 22-year-old player has already held talks on Tyneside and is a Graham Carr singing, finding the midfielder playing in the French second division for Reims. His contract is up in the summer and is able to sign for any club he wants on a free transfer, transfering on the day his current deal expires just as Mehdi Abeid did in his switch to the North East last year. A pre-contract agreement between Newcastle and Amalfitano is thought to have already been agreed. The second player already set to join Newcastle in the summer is a little less obvious. Newcastle chased hard for Dutch international left-back Erik Pieters last season but the death of his grandfather led to him staying at his club PSV Eindhoven. He has endured an injury filled year for PSV and is already ruled out of the Euro 2012's for Holland, which likely reduces his price tag but also might put off Newcastle from signing him. His price tag would be at least £5 or 6 million. Alan Pardew has also travelled to Amsterdam at least twice to watch Ajax play and is though to be tracking either Jan Vertonghen (who could be Arsenal or Spurs bound, valued at £8 million) or his center-back partner Toby Alderweireld (valued at £5 million). Pardew has also watched FC Twente play and has been linked with moves for two of Steve McClaren's players who have become superstars of the Dutch league; 21-year-old striker sensation Luuk De Jong (£1o-12 million rated) and the colossus center-back Douglas, the latter who is out of contract in the summer. Meanwhile Newcastle have also been linked with Barnsley's impressive 21-year-old central midfielder Jacob Butterfield and 24 year-old Dijon FC attacking midfielder Benjamin Corgnet. Newcastle fans... who would you like The Magpies to sign this summer?