WHAT are the main transfer stories dominating the North-East football scene this morning?

NEWCASTLE

It’s set to be a typically chaotic summer at St James’ Park, and while much of what will happen over the next couple of months will be determined by Rafael Benitez’s future plans, Newcastle’s transfer planning is well underway. Whether they’ll be able to land the players they want to, of course, is a completely different matter.

There are plenty of names flying around when it comes to attacking targets, but one of the leading early candidates would appear to be Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric.

The former Leicester City forward has been in great form in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 16 goals to help power his side into the Champions League.

The Northern Echo: Andrej Kramaric has struggled to make an impact at Leicester

Unsurprisingly, his performances have not gone unnoticed, but while Bayern Munich have been linked with a possible move for the 26-year-old, Newcastle have also been monitoring him closely for the majority of the campaign.

Newcastle’s head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, has watched Kramaric in person on a number of occasions, but it remains to be seen whether Mike Ashley will be willing to fund a move for one of German football’s most in-demand attackers.

Further afield, the Magpies have also been linked with Chilean striker Nico Castillo, who currently plays his club football in Mexico with Pumas UNAM.

The Portuguese sport newspaper, O Jogo, claims Newcastle are potential rivals to Benfica for the 25-year-old, who is valued at around €10m.


MIDDLESBROUGH

After his side’s play-off disappointment against Aston Villa, it will be interesting to see how much change Tony Pulis looks to enact this summer.

Will it be the end of the road for some of the players that were so influential under Aitor Karanka? Or Pulis look to adopt a more conservative approach as he looks to keep his spending to a minimum?

There is likely to be interested in some of Boro’s key players, and Southampton remain extremely interested in Ben Gibson.

Mark Hughes tried to sign Gibson when he was manager of Stoke, but Boro rebuffed his approaches. Having guided Southampton to Premier League safety in the closing weeks of the season, Hughes is set to test Boro’s resolve once again.

The Northern Echo:

In terms of incomings, it remains to be seen where Pulis turns, but he will be aware that two of his former clubs – Stoke and West Brom – will be looking to offload players after suffering relegation.

The likes of Ryan Shawcross, James Morrison and Chris Brunt have been linked with Boro in the last few years – might they be targets again this summer?


SUNDERLAND

With Stewart Donald’s takeover set to be formally confirmed in the next few days, Sunderland’s plans for life in League One should start to become clearer.

The key priority in the next week or so will be the appointment of a new manager, with two of three names expected to dominate discussions.

Bolton boss Phil Parkinson is regarded as a viable candidate as he is believed to be concerned at his job prospects at the Macron Stadium, with the Trotters set for significant external investment this summer.

The Northern Echo:

Sunderland are also expected to firm up their interest in St Mirren boss Jack Ross and Shrewsbury manager Paul Hurst, although the pair are both on Ipswich Town’s wanted list as they look to secure a successor to Mick McCarthy.

Sunderland’s transfer business will only really begin to evolve once a new manager is in place, although Donald’s associate, Charlie Methven, has confirmed a desire to cut costs this summer.

That means the likes of Lamine Kone, Papy Djilobodji, Jack Rodwell, Lee Cattermole and Wahbi Khazri will all be available for transfer, and could also mean the likes of Paddy McNair, Joel Asoro and Josh Maja are vulnerable if there is interest in their services.