NEWCASTLE UNITED will step up their attempts to sign Arnaud Lusamba after the midfielder’s departure from Nice was formally confirmed.

While Newcastle’s summer planning will be heavily influenced by the outcome of Amanda Staveley’s ongoing attempts to engineer a successful takeover, the club are attempting to ensure they are ready for whatever eventuality presents itself later this summer.

Head of recruitment Steve Nickson was recalled from furlough to assemble a list of potential summer signings, and Lusamba is known to figure prominently in his thoughts.

The 23-year-old midfielder joined Nice from Ligue 2 side Nancy in 2016 and has made ten appearances in the French top-flight for his current employers. He has also spent seven months playing in Belgium’s Jupiler League during a loan spell with Cercle Brugge.

His representatives have already held an initial round of talks with Newcastle officials, although the Magpies are not the only Premier League club interested in securing his services.

Leicester City and Crystal Palace are also understood to have flagged up their interest, but Newcastle will attempt to steal a march on their rivals by staging another round of discussions before the end of this month.

Lusamba’s departure from Nice was confirmed yesterday, with the French side having opted not to offer him a new deal.

“At the end of his contract, Arnaud Lusamba will go in a new direction,” said a statement issued by Nice’s directors. “OGC Nice thanks him and wishes him good luck for the rest of his journey.”

As a versatile midfielder capable of playing in an attacking or deep-lying position, Lusamba is a possible replacement for Matty Longstaff, who looks likely to leave Newcastle when his own contract expires at the end of this month. Longstaff has been heavily linked with a move to Italian side Udinese, who could well look to loan him to Watford, who have the same owners.

It remains to be seen whether the younger of the two Longstaff brothers is involved when Newcastle return to Premier League action against Sheffield United on Sunday, but whoever lines up for the Magpies’ return at St James’ Park, Steve Bruce will be sticking with the more positive approach he adopted for the Magpies’ final three games before lockdown.

Having been criticised for playing conservatively with five at the back for the majority of the season, Bruce changed tactics for February’s home game with Burnley.

The Magpies switched to a flat back four against the Clarets, and while they were unable to break down their opponents in a goalless draw, Bruce was happy with his side’s increased levels of creativity.

Things were even more expansive as Newcastle scored three goals in the space of 14 minutes as they claimed an FA Cup victory over West Brom in their penultimate outing before lockdown, and a flat back four was evident again as Bruce’s side won at Southampton in their final game before football’s enforced hiatus.

Last weekend’s practice game against Hull City saw Florian Lejeune partner Federico Fernandez at the heart of a back four, with Javier Manquillo and Danny Rose filling the full-back positions, and while Jamaal Lascelles will hope to start against Sheffield United, the formation will remain unchanged.

At the other end of the pitch, Joelinton is set to start as Newcastle’s central striker, with Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin playing on either side of him.

Dwight Gayle is an injury doubt ahead of Saturday’s game, having sustained a calf injury following his return to full training. However, the problem is not understood to be related to the string of previous issues that have plagued the striker in the last couple of seasons.