NEWCASTLE United manager Eddie Howe has admitted to feeling frustrated at the climate of the transfer market but is keen to emphasise that he wants the right players in, whenever they arrive at the club.

So far, the Magpies business has seen them bring Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett to the club on permanent deals but their progress has slowed in recent weeks.

There is a feeling at the club that due to their advanced spending power following the Saudi PIF takeover last October, they are being quoted inflated prices for potential targets.

In recent weeks, they have been forced to shelve their interest in Leeds United winger Jack Harrison along with Bayern Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby after being outpriced beyond their internal budget structures. There has also been a failed move for striker Huge Ekitike who has gone on to join Paris St Germain.

Plenty of clubs have bared the brunt of a difficult market with clubs having a tight grip in their players but while there is an understanding of how things are playing out, there was a hope that the club would be further along in their business as things stand as Howe said: “I probably wouldn’t have hoped to have been in that situation but that’s the transfer window. As I’ve said many times, there is no certainty on anything.

“You go into the window and you want to get business done early and get the majority of pre-season done with the squad that you will have. But time in management has taught me that rarely happens and you have to be adaptable. That’s what we’ve tried to be.

“I think the most important thing is we get the right players and not the speed at which we get players in. Obviously, we are working hard behind the scenes.”

While the club are refusing to buckle on the huge sums of money they are being asked to shell out for potential targets, they are hoping to make progress in the pursuit of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison.

The Magpies had a bid of around £40 million rejected by the Foxes last week but club officials have been renegotiating a potential deal and have made a second offer. Reports suggest that Maddison, an England international, is keen to make the move to Tyneside but Leicester City remain reluctant to lose a key player in their squad. Their captain Kasper Schmeichel is already on his way to French side Nice after failing to agree a new contract at the King Power Stadium.

The club have moved to appoint Dan Ashworth as Sporting Director this summer who is spearheading the club’s movement in the transfer window. Whilst they have encountered difficulty in the market, there is no blame laid at the door of anyone internally from the manager’s point of view as he continued: “I think there is a slight frustration but not aimed at anyone from our side in terms of being frustrated that we haven’t done business.

“It’s just an understanding of the window and the mechanics that go into making transfers but there is a frustration because you want to build your team. You want to get that cohesive nature of the team working quickly but we hope we can do something.”

After an 11th place finish in the Premier League last season, the hope is that Newcastle will be able to elevate themselves to a different level and the adding to squad depth should help them on their way to achieving their goals.

In terms of any potential departures, Howe admitted after their friendly win over Atalanta that it looks likely he will keep Elliot Anderson in the first-team squad beyond the transfer window after his recent impressive performances in pre-season.

Regarding other outgoings, the manager is not expecting an immediate movement as he added: “I don’t think there will be too many more outgoings at this moment in time. The squad is okay, touch wood, for injuries. We’re not too bad at the moment but the squad isn’t huge so we’re probably carrying a well balanced squad.”

They have already moved to offload several fringe players in their squad with Dwight Gayle, Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick all dropping down to the Championship with Stoke City, Sheffield United and Reading respectively.

Newcastle ended their pre-season campaign with a win over Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao at the weekend and are now preparing for this weekend’s Premier League opener at home to newly promoted Nottingham Forest.

Steve Cooper’s side have heavily invested in their squad with 12 new signings this summer including former Newcastle target Jesse Lingard, who penned a one-year deal at the City Ground after his release from Manchester United earlier this summer.