Newcastle to complete £74m transfers as Alexander Isak waits on dream Liverpool move

Newcastle are looking to seal the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey and they believe serious progress can be made before the weekend - when they will take on the Midlands outfit in their Premier League opener.

The Magpies have just secured their second signing of the summer in Malick Thiaw, who joined from AC Milan, and now want to bolster their midfield ranks. On Tuesday, the two clubs were negotiating on a fee believed to be in the region of £40million, reports the Daily Mail.

Ramsey himself is keen on a move to St James' Park, where he could play Champions League football, although there is rival interest from West Ham. Those in the north east are confident they can land the midfielder however, which will be a boost to Eddie Howe.

The Newcastle boss wants to ensure he has six midfielders available to him and had seen his options drop down to five following the sale of Sean Longstaff to Leeds.

Thiaw's signing for just shy of £35m was confirmed this week and the German will provide more quality at centre-back, which was a priority for Newcastle this summer as Howe looks to increase competition and lower the average age of an experienced squad.

The player himself, who has been capped by his country, admits he was sold on the plans for the club. "The gaffer showed me his vision and what he wants to do with me as a player and the club itself, which is really exciting," he said. "I think Newcastle speaks for itself. It's a great club, a big club with passionate fans who I can't wait to see at St James' Park."

Newcastle's overriding priority in the final weeks of the transfer window however is ironing out the Alexander Isak saga. The forward wants to move to Liverpool, who have seen their opening bid rejected, and has made it clear he doesn't want to play for the club again, even putting his property on the market.

The Magpies have taken a hardline stance that he will not be sold, even if a new striker comes in. Howe had admitted he could not include the Swede at present with the ex-Real Sociedad man currently training on his own as the team prepare for their season opener without him.

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