If you believed anything that came out of Mike Ashley's mouth at the weekend then this story will come as little surprise to you. Newcastle United are set to kick off their summer of rebuilding with an almighty bang with no less than five signings bolstering The Magpies threadbare squad, reports the Daily Star. Those names will be familiar ones to Newcastle fans who are keeping tabs on the club's rumour mill, names that will be a great success on Tyneside if Messrs Carr and Charnley can get them 'over the line'. Anderlecht€™s Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, Marseille's Andre Ayew, Hull defender James Chester, QPR hotshot Charlie Austin and Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford are all rumoured to be high on the list of priorities at St James' Park. These are certainly encouraging names that are sure to get Newcastle fans excited. Mitrovic has one of the most glowing reputations in European football at the moment. Ayew has been tracked by some Champions League big hitters in recent times while new England man Charlie Austin just scores goals, no matter what level he plays at. James Chester, as uninspiring a name as that is, will be a step up in class from Mike Williamson and has plentiful Premier League and international experience, while Patrick Bamford is expected to stay at Chelsea next season to fight for a first team spot, such is the quality he possesses. The attacker impressed on loan at Middlesbrough last season and is sure to be attracting interest from top flight clubs after Boro failed to win the Championship play off final on Monday. Mike Ashley backed himself into a corner at the weekend when he said he will invest and won't be leaving NE1 until he wins something. Signing these five men would be a signal of intent but nothing more than that. Newcastle, realistically, need to be signing 10-12 players this summer as well as keeping top 'stars' like Moussa Sissoko, Tim Krul and Daryl Janmaat at the club. Let's hope this is the start of something special. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCultureNUFC on Twitter and Facebook.
