TOTTENHAM boss Jose Mourinho has indicated he will not stand in Newcastle United’s way if they try to turn Danny Rose’s current loan deal into a permanent transfer this summer.

Rose joined Newcastle on a temporary basis in January, and while it is likely that all current loan arrangements will be extended if the season spills into the summer once the coronavirus crisis subsides sufficiently for football to be able to resume, the full-back is due to return to his permanent employers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of next season.

Newcastle’s summer transfer plans have been put on ice while the sporting world is on lockdown, with the club’s recruitment staff having been banned from overseas travel. Obviously, there are no matches taking place for them to watch anyway, but even face-to-face meetings with agents or club officials have been indefinitely postponed.

However, Steve Bruce remains in regular contact with head of recruitment Steve Nickson and managing director Lee Charnley, and the trio have all agreed that a permanent deal for Rose makes sense.

Significantly, senior officials at Tottenham have also suggested they will be happy to strike an agreement for the 29-year-old’s transfer, with Mourinho long ago having concluded he does not see Rose as a major part of his future plans.

The England international still has one full year of his Spurs contract to run, and with Euro 2020 having been put back a year to the summer of 2021, he will not want to spend the next 12 months kicking his heels on the Tottenham bench.

He has settled in the North-East without any problems – moving closer to his South Yorkshire roots was a key factor in his decision to join Newcastle in the first place – and is understood to be keen on a full-time switch to Tyneside despite being aware of anticipated interest from elsewhere.

Rose’s £60,000-a-week wages should not be a problem, and while Charnley and Mike Ashley will not want to pay over the odds for a player who will turn 30 in July, the indications from London are that Spurs will not seek an unrealistic transfer fee for a player they would like to be rid of.

Newcastle made two other loan signings in January, recruiting Valentino Lazaro and Nabil Bentaleb, but they are yet to make a decision on whether to seek permanent deals for either of those players later in the summer.

Lazaro has provided some pace and attacking thrust down the right-hand side, while Bentaleb has made six starts at the heart of midfield, but Bruce feels it is too early to make a long-term decision on either loanee.

In terms of external targets, Newcastle’s two key priorities this summer will be a creative midfielder and a centre-forward, although their business will be influenced by who leaves. As things stand, it is unlikely that Andy Carroll will be offered a new contract, and there is also a good chance of Dwight Gayle finally moving on. If both players were to leave, that would leave the Magpies extremely light in the forward positions.

The Newcastle hierarchy will make a final push to hold on to Matty Longstaff, with Arsenal having become the latest top-flight club to be linked with the 20-year-old, who is currently due to become a free agent at the end of June.

Longstaff rejected the Magpies’ most recent contract offer, with Bruce conceding talks had reached “an impasse” at the start of the month.

Inter Milan are known to have held formal discussions with Longstaff’s representatives, but with the Tynesider keen to remain in England if at all possible, Arsenal have reportedly flagged up their interest in the last couple of weeks.

West Ham United and Everton have also been strongly linked with a possible move, with Newcastle only due a compensatory fee if Longstaff moves on when his current contract expires.

There has also been interest in Sean Longstaff, although Newcastle are in a much stronger position with the elder of the two brothers as he recently signed a deal to 2022.