NEWCASTLE will confirm the capture of Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic within the next 24 hours, and are also hoping to have added his Anderlecht team-mate, Chancel Mbemba, to their ranks by the time they return from their pre-season tour of the United States later this week.

The Magpies claimed the first win of their US tour in the early hours of yesterday morning as they ground out a 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic, although any satisfaction at watching Georginio Wijnaldum make his first appearance for the club was at least partially tempered by the straight red card issued to Massadio Haidara in the second half.

Wijnaldum became Newcastle’s first signing of the summer when he completed a £14.5m switch from PSV Eindhoven earlier this month, and Mitrovic is set to join him in the Magpies ranks when he seals a £12m move from Anderlecht later today.

“It’s over,” said Mitrovic, who started his career with Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, on social media over the weekend. “Again in black and white. Thank you RSC Anderlecht! Thank you for everything.”

The 20-year-old striker spent most of last week pondering his options as Newcastle’s recruitment team battled against competing interest from Porto and Roma.

At one stage, it looked as though he was holding out for a move to a team that could offer involvement in the Champions League, but Saturday morning saw his representatives contact senior Newcastle officials to confirm their client’s willingness to join Newcastle.

With a fee already agreed with Anderlecht, Mitrovic travelled to Tyneside yesterday afternoon ahead of undergoing a medical and agreeing personal terms. His transfer should be confirmed shortly, although he is not expected to fly to the US to take part in Wednesday morning’s final pre-season game with Portland Timbers. Instead, his first appearance in a Newcastle shirt could come in Sunday’s pre-season game at Sheffield United.

“We are very close to something,” confirmed Magpies head coach Steve McClaren. “There is a lot of speculation and pre-empting of decisions, but certainly from the feedback back home, they are working very hard to bring one or two players in.”

The second of those players is a defender, with Newcastle’s recruitment team increasingly confident of landing Mbemba within the next few days.

The defender’s deal has been negotiated separately to that of Mitrovic, but the Magpies are close to agreeing a package worth around £10m for the 20-year-old DR Congo international.

Mbemba has made more than 50 senior appearances since breaking into the Anderlecht first team in 2012, and is set to sign a long-term deal on Tyneside.

Newcastle officials have also inquired about Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour and Schalke’s Joel Matip, but Mbemba has emerged as the Magpies’ preferred option by some distance and a deal is regarded as imminent.

Newcastle’s recruitment team are also pondering whether to rekindle their former interest in Brazil-born Dutchman Douglas, who has entered the final year of his current deal at Dynamo Moscow.

The Magpies agreed a deal for the 27-year-old in 2013, but then director of football Joe Kinnear opted to pull the plug on talks and pursue alternative targets instead.

Douglas moved to Moscow, but Newcastle have continued to keep tabs on his progress and McClaren, who worked with the defender as he led FC Twente to the Dutch Eridivisie title, is understood to be keen on a deal.

Newcastle’s first pre-season win in the US came courtesy of an own goal from Sacramento defender James Kiffe, although Haidara’s red card meant the victory came with something of a sour note.

Sacramento defender Nemanja Vukovic cleared off the line after Vurnon Anita delivered a dangerous cross midway through the first half, but Tim Krul was forced to make excellent saves to deny Thomas Stewart and Max Alvarez as Newcastle came under pressure with half-time approaching.

The Magpies claimed the lead two minutes after the break, although they were indebted to their opponents for the breakthrough as Kiffe hooked Haidara’s cross into his own net.

Haidara’s game ended abruptly when he was rightly dismissed for a crude challenge on Danny Barrera – the red card will not affect the full-back’s availability for the opening Premier League games – and Wijnaldum kicked off his Newcastle career as he came off the bench for the final 21 minutes.

“There was no malice in the challenge (by Haidara),” said McClaren. “He wasn’t looking at the man, he was looking at the ball.

“It looked bad because he clashed with the opponent. It was a rash challenge and a rash red card. It was disappointing, but it made our boys work harder in the last 20 minutes.”

Newcastle: Krul (Woodman 46); Janmaat, Lascelles (Taylor 46), Williamson, Haidara; Colback, Anita; Obertan (Aarons 69), de Jong (Wijnaldum 69), Sissoko; Cisse (Perez 69).