NEWCASTLE UNITED are set to miss out on long-standing transfer target Andre-Pierre Gignac after Turkish side Galatasaray closed in on a £1.8m-a-year deal for the French striker.

Gignac will leave Marseille this summer after the Ligue 1 club failed to renew his contract, and having tracked the 29-year-old for more than three years, Newcastle’s recruitment team had included the forward on their list of potential attacking targets.

Mike Ashley has previously shied away from signing players who are coming towards the end of their career, but there is acknowledgment that the callowness of the current squad contributed to Newcastle’s failings in the second half of the season, and this summer’s transfer business will see a marked shift towards more experienced players and more domestic acquisitions.

Gignac’s status as a free agent makes him of considerable interest, with his 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances this season having confirmed his enduring quality.

Montpellier have also been heavily linked with the France international, but Newcastle had been confident of outbidding the club that sold them Remy Cabella in the last summer transfer window.

However, Galatasaray’s emergence as serious suitors presents a much more serious threat to the Magpies’ ambitions, with the Turkish club prepared to offer Gignac a lucrative three-year contract worth around €2.5m-a-year.

Galatasaray officials held an initial round of talks with Gignac’s representatives in January, and Turkish sources claim there is a strong chance a deal could be concluded within the next week.

While the striker’s status as a free agent would make it easier for Newcastle to stretch themselves in terms of his wage demands, there is little chance of Ashley committing around £5.5m over the course of three years to the purchase of a player who would be 32 by the time his contract ended.

As a result, the Magpies are expected to look elsewhere, with other free agents also on their radar as they attempt to kick-start their summer recruitment drive despite the absence of a permanent head coach.

Burnley’s Danny Ings has long been one of their leading targets, but while the England Under-21 international has confirmed he will be leaving Turf Moor this summer, he is set to sign for Liverpool once the transfer window reopens.

Newcastle officials have also been lining up a move for Racing Santander midfielder David Concha, with the 18-year-old midfielder having visited Tyneside earlier this season to watch a game.

However, with Real Betis and Valencia also poised to bid for the highly-rated teenager, who is rated at around €2.5m by his Segunda Division employers, the Magpies could find themselves drawn into a bidding war.

It remains to be seen whether any senior players leave St James’ Park this summer, with both Cheick Tiote and Moussa Sissoko heavily linked with a move away from Newcastle after disappointing campaigns.

Daryl Janmaat is another key name attracting interest, but having only moved to Tyneside in July, the Dutch full-back insists he has no desire to move on again this summer.

“I love this club and I want to stay here,” said Janmaat. “It’s my first season here and I have a very nice feeling. We’re happy to have won (against West Ham), but we know we have to improve next season as a team and a club.”

Janmaat admits Newcastle underperformed markedly this season, but claims Sunday’s final-day victory at least provided a rare bright spot in an otherwise difficult second half of the campaign.

“It was a very nice feeling after so many defeats,” he said. “We needed a win, and it was a nice feeling when we got it. It was a rollercoaster game, up and down, but we knew we had to win it.

“We knew Hull were playing at the same time, and it was important that they didn’t win. But we had it in our hands, and we won the game.”