NEWCASTLE UNITED are pressing ahead with summer recruitment plans despite the uncertainty surrounding who will be in charge of first team affairs next season.

John Carver still hopes to be given the role of head coach beyond this campaign and is focused on leading the Magpies to a top ten finish to aid his cause.

But the interim boss is well aware of the boardroom’s desire to keep their options open before finalising a deal to confirm Alan Pardew’s full-time successor.

There are a number of candidates still under consideration, but Carver could still stay in the role full-time if he enjoys a fruitful end to his short-term contract.

But managing director Lee Charnley, who has a good working relationship with Carver, has been told what areas of the squad needs strengthening and is working on possible deals for the summer already with chief scout Graham Carr.

Priorities lie at the heart of the defence and up front and Carr, who has recommended a number of targets to Charnley, is the man behind giving Swiss defender Fabian Schar and Ghana international Andre Ayew glowing reports,

Newcastle are aware that players are out of contract, although Schar could command a sizeable fee because he is under the age of 24.

The Basel centre-back would finally fill the hole left by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa last summer and provides experience of playing in the Champions League. He was part of the side which lost heavily at Porto on Tuesday night, although he is highly-rated across Europe.

Carr has been monitoring a number of players in Switzerland and Schar is one of the most fancied, but there is interest in him from Italian side Inter Milan and Arsenal, among others, because of his potential.

The prospect of luring Ayew to Tyneside is on the agenda too. The African, who can operate in a variety of positions across the forward line, has rejected the chance to extend his contract at Marseille.

Roma, Wolfsburg and Tottenham are known to have expressed an interest in him, with the Premier League thought to appeal to the attacker.

Newcastle are understood to have made contact with the player’s representatives to discuss a pre-contract, ahead of him becoming a free agent in the summer.

Marseille have not given up on keeping the 25-year-old in the south of France either, although the suggestions are that he could be tempted for a fresh challenge.

Carver has told Charnley that a new forward is required and that will be highlighted even more in the coming weeks when Papiss Cisse serves his seven match ban for spitting at Manchester United defender Jonny Evans.