NEWCASTLE UNITED officials will meet with Tammy Abraham’s representatives next week as they attempt to persuade the teenage striker to uproot to Tyneside.
Chelsea are set to fend off interest in the sale of the youngster, who spent last season on loan at Bristol City, by tying him down to a new long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.
However, that will be the precursor to another loan move, with Blues boss Antonio Conte not believing Abraham is ready for the step up to the newly-crowned Premier League champions’ senior squad.
Abraham scored 23 goals in 41 Championship appearances during his loan spell at Ashton Gate, but while a host of second-tier clubs are keen to secure his services for next season, Conte would rather he gained some experience in the Premier League.
Newcastle and Brighton are the first top-flight clubs to have registered a firm interest in the Londoner, and both have been given formal permission to speak to Abraham and his representatives.
Newcastle’s recruitment team are hoping to make their case as quickly as possible, and are keen to hold face-to-face discussions next week. The Magpies kicked off their summer recruitment drive with the £6.2m purchase of former Chelsea winger Christian Atsu on Wednesday, and the discussions that led to that deal also touched on Abraham’s position.
Rafael Benitez is keen to strengthen his attacking ranks this summer, and a loan deal for Abraham would be an especially attractive option as it would not make a major impact on the Spaniard’s £80m transfer kitty.
Newcastle have previously tried to include an option for a permanent deal in all of their loan arrangements, but it is unlikely that would be feasible for Abraham as Chelsea do not want to lose the forward next summer.
The Magpies have also been pondering a possible loan move for Nathan Ake and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but Premier League rules prevent a club from loaning more than one player from one of their top-flight rivals so an agreement with Abraham would mean interest in those players would have to be shelved.
Abraham could be tempted to join Brighton as that would mean he would not have to move from his current home, however Newcastle officials will hope their ambitious plans for significant summer spending help persuade him that St James’ Park is a more attractive destination.
As well as looking to clinch loan deals of his own, Benitez is also pondering what to do with some of the players due to return from loans away from Tyneside this summer.
The likes of Henri Saivet and Emmanuel Riviere would not appear to have a future in Newcastle colours, but Benitez faces a trickier decision when it comes to Tim Krul.
The Dutch goalkeeper will finish his loan at AZ Alkmaar with an appearance in the Eredivisie’s Europa League qualification play-offs, and while Benitez already has Rob Elliot, Karl Darlow, Matz Sels and Freddie Woodman on his books, Krul remains hopeful of being able to re-establish himself in the Newcastle team.
“It’s been a while,” said the 28-year-old, who has one more year of his current Magpies contract to run. “I’m looking forward to going back there after completing my loan at AZ.
“I’ve been at Newcastle for 11 seasons. It’s part of my life – a massive part of my life. My wife is from Newcastle. My little girl was born in Newcastle. I’ve got more links to Newcastle than just football – that’s something to be massively proud of.”
Meanwhile, Paul Dummett has been left out of the Wales squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier with Serbia.
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