Newcastle in talks with Burnley over Pope deal

Newcastle United are in negotiations with Burnley over the signing of goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Sky Sports News reported last week Eddie Howe was interested in the England goalkeeper and talks are now well under way.

It is understood Pope is keen to remain in the Premier League with an eye on his England place at the World Cup in Qatar this winter.

The 30-year-old, who was named in Gareth Southgate's most recent England squad, would be viewed as an excellent addition to Newcastle's goalkeeping ranks.

Talks are also continuing for Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike, though Newcastle are prepared to move onto other targets if progress is not made with either player soon.

Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:

Not the "revolution people expect", according to Eddie Howe. Hardly a glowing review of Newcastle's prospective transfer policy this summer, however pragmatic.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) will prohibit Newcastle from lavishly splurging in the upcoming window, despite now being one of the richest clubs in world football. They spent in excess of £90m in January alone.

It's clear that a goalkeeper is top of the wishlist, with good options in either Man Utd's Dean Henderson or Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga. There is also some dispute over attacking options - with Chris Wood yet to find his scoring boots and Callum Wilson finding both form and fitness hard to come by.

Rebuilding the squad over time and developing existing talent, as well as a couple of astute additions should provide Newcastle with enough leverage to compete at the right end of the table. Certainly nothing less than top half would be proportionate to the expenditure next season. Howe's emphasis on "smart moves" over a reckless spending spree should serve the club well in the long