Newcastle transfer news: Magpies could clinch deadline day deal for £18m attacker

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook thinks Newcastle could still make one final play for Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard before Monday's 11pm deadline.

The Magpies have been heavily linked with Lingard in recent weeks, but it seems that their hopes of signing the 29-year-old are fading, with the transfer window set to close in a matter of hours.

Newcastle appeared to be edging nearer to signing Lingard last week when it was reported that the player himself was open to a loan move away from Old Trafford.

However, it was then claimed that talks had broken down due to United asking for a sizeable loan fee, plus a bonus if the £18m-rated attacker kept Newcastle in the Premier League.

With Donny van de Beek now on the brink of joining Everton on loan, United may now decide to keep hold of Lingard rather than losing two attacking midfielders in one transfer window.

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Then again, Crook does not think that Newcastle's chances of signing Lingard are completely dead and buried.

The club are closing in on signing Aston Villa's Matt Targett, Brighton's Dan Burn and Hugo Ekitike from Reims, and Crook thinks Lingard could emerge as Newcastle's fourth target of Deadline Day.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Crook said: “As we get closer to the deadline, other targets maybe fall off the radar. It wouldn’t surprise me if they came back in for Jesse Lingard.”

When Eddie Howe first arrived at Newcastle in November, he tinkered between playing with a back five and a back four.

In recent weeks, though, he has turned to a 4-3-3, and it has started to deliver some more positive results as his side are unbeaten in their last three league games.

In terms of where