NEWCASTLE UNITED are ready to make long-term transfer fancy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang their number one target as they look to overhaul their misfiring squad in the summer.

Despite the absence of a permanent head coach, Newcastle’s recruitment team are pressing ahead with their plans for the summer, with chief scout Graham Carr playing a pivotal role.

Carr has assumed prime responsibility for identifying and monitoring targets, and is expected to make his final recommendations to managing director Lee Charnley before the end of the current campaign.

The acquisition of a new centre-forward is seen as a major priority, and with the Magpies set to announce another operational profit when their next set of accounts are published shortly, there will be money available for a recruitment drive this summer.

Whether some of that money is balanced by players leaving St James’ Park remains to be seen, but there is an acknowledgement at boardroom level that attacking reinforcements are required, and Aubameyang remains a leading target.

The Borussia Dortmund striker was the subject of sustained interest from Newcastle in each of the last two summer transfer windows, but a deal could not be agreed on either occasion.

With Mike Ashley having travelled to France to watch Aubameyang personally when he was still with St Etienne, Newcastle were willing to pay around €10m to secure his services in the summer of 2013.

Instead, the Gabon international travelled to Germany after Borussia Dortmund agreed to pay €13m, but a relatively unsuccessful first season in the Bundesliga saw the Magpies rekindle their interest last summer.

Again, their efforts were thwarted, and while Borussia Dortmund have spent most of the current campaign battling against relegation, Aubameyang’s return of 15 goals from 29 matches in all competitions has underlined his enduring qualities.

The 25-year-old, who is under contract until 2018, remains one of the most highly-rated strikers in the Bundesliga, but Newcastle officials are hoping his current employers’ struggles could increase their chances of prising him from the Westfalenstadion this summer.

With Dortmund almost certain to be out of Europe next season – their only realistic hope of qualification is by winning the Champions League – there is likely to be a significant overhaul of the Borussia Dortmund squad in the close season.

Manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to move on, and the hope within the corridors of power at St James’ Park is that his departure will spark an exodus of some of the club’s leading players.

There would be considerable competition for Aubameyang’s signature, but having investigated the possibility of signing him in great detail in the past, Newcastle’s recruitment group would be hopeful of luring the forward to Tyneside.

The identity of the club’s new head coach could be a major factor in persuading a range of targets to agree to join the Magpies this summer, and having watched last weekend’s capitulation at Manchester City in his role as a summariser for French television, former Lyon boss Remi Garde has refused to rule himself out of the running.

Garde was interviewed for the head coach position at the start of January, but talks broke down without an agreement in place.

Garde’s backroom demands are understood to have proved problematic at the time, while the Frenchman was also reluctant to take over a group of players halfway through a season.

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That would not be an obstacle in the summer, and Charnley is expected to hold further talks with Garde and his representatives as he looks to appoint a permanent successor to Alan Pardew.

When asked about his thoughts on a move to Newcastle, Garde told the French media: “I have a duty of confidentiality in this matter to Newcastle. I’ll be very honest and very integrated with respect to the leaders of Newcastle – I cannot say more.”

When pressed on his willingness to return to coaching, he added: “I cannot say I’m desperate to return on a bench, far from it. But I can easily say that I loved this coaching experience.

“I needed to recover and rejuvenate myself – I had probably caught a virus to start this profession. I do not close the door to anything – to take another year off, or to dive into a project that would suit me.”

Frank de Boer is another figure firmly on Newcastle’s radar, but the Dutchman’s brother, Ronald, believes there is a good chance he will not be moving anywhere this summer.

“I’m 90 per cent certain he will stay at Ajax,” said Ronald de Boer. “It all depends on what club is going to come and ask him. He doesn’t have to go though – he’s very happy at Ajax.”