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Tottenham Hotspur are considering a summer move for Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, according to The Sun, which reported that Newcastle United remains interested and leading the race for the disgruntled goalie.

Trafford, 23, returned to Manchester City from Burnley last summer in a £27million deal. He was expected to compete for the No.1 role, but he was displaced after City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The England international has not made a Premier League appearance since August, although he featured in the Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal and made his senior England debut against Uruguay just before that game.

According to The Sun, Spurs view Trafford as a potential successor to Guglielmo Vicario, who has been linked with a summer exit. Italy legend Walter Zenga has urged Inter Milan to sign Vicario.

We know very well that Newcastle are also monitoring Trafford’s situation. Eddie Howe’s side attempted to sign him last summer before Manchester City stole him. Newcastle instead secured Aaron Ramsdale on a season-long loan from Southampton.

Although Newcastle hold an option to buy Ramsdale, they will return him to his club this summer. Nick Pope, meanwhile, will enter the final year of his contract this summer, which could prompt the club to revisit their goalkeeping plans.

Trafford’s situation is expected to draw significant attention as the transfer window approaches, with multiple Premier League clubs assessing their goalkeeping options, but the potential move of the goalie depending entrirely on his decision.

Newcastle United are expected to target a striker in the summer transfer window amid the steady underperformance of their current forward options.

Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have struggled for consistency in front of goal after arriving in Tyneside for humongous amounts of money last summer, and speculation is already surrounding them and the forward corps of the Magpies ahead of July’s transfer market.

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, for one, believes Tottenham Hotspur forward Dominic Solanke should be a priority target for Eddie Howe’s club.

“Newcastle United should be moving quickly in the summer transfer window to sign Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke,” Wyness told Football Insider.

Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, Wyness outlined why he views the 28-year-old as a strong fit.

“Yes, I think he would. I think Eddie Howe would get the best out of him as he’s done before. I think he’s perfect for Newcastle,” Wyness said. “I think with the Woltemade situation, he seems to very unhappy right now. And I would say that Solanke would be a big upgrade compared to Woltemade. And I think working with Eddie Howe would be very good.”

Wyness also suggested that talks may already be happening and progressing toward the completion of a deal once the season is over.

“So I’d say from Newcastle’s point of view, definitely a thumbs up for Solanke,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some deals happening behind the scenes right now.”

Solanke previously played for Howe at Bournemouth and has established himself as a Premier League scorer. That said, he’s still part of a side that is bound to be relegated, or come close to that fate, which begs questions about whether or not investing in him would be a wise move by NUFC.

For now, no formal bid from Newcastle has been reported, and it’s fair to assume the Magpies recruiting and scouting of potential transfer targets is still in the early stages, with a few months and a World Cup still to come before clubs can get down to business.

Newcastle United are assessing striker options ahead of a summer window that could reshape their attacking department, with Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke now linked as a possible target.

According to the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones, Solanke is “emerging as a potential summer target for Newcastle United,” with Tottenham’s Premier League status potentially forcing a sale.

Solanke previously worked under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, a connection that adds context to the interest. That said, there are too many coincidences in this “report” to truly believe it, from that link to the fact that the Spurs are facing relegation, by way of Newcastle’s precarious forward line. Whatever.

Newcastle are reviewing their striker corps because, well, what to tell you about it that you don’t already know. One-hit wonder Will Osula is seemingly attracting attention from Crystal Palace and Aston Villa and was an eyelid away from leaving for Germany last summer.

Add the ever-underperforming Yoanne Wissa and Nick Woltemade to the equation, and you have everything for chasing not one, not two, not three strikers next summer.

Jones noted Solanke’s importance to the Spurs, but the realities they are facing.

“Solanke, now 28, is key to Spurs’ plans as they would want to keep him even if they went down,” Jones wrote. “However, despite struggling with injury this season, he is still a proven Premier League performer and will be in demand.”

The England forward has made 14 appearances this season, scoring five goals, all since January, in a side battling near the bottom of the table.

Tottenham’s position remains precarious following a defeat to Crystal Palace that left them one point above 18th place in their last game. Speaking after that result, Solanke addressed the team’s situation.

“We’ve just had a big conversation,” Solanke said. “We know the position we are in is definitely not where we want to be so we need to figure out how we are going to get out of it as soon as possible.

“We know there’s been difficulties but we’re not in a position to make any excuses anymore. We need to do the job on the pitch and I think it is easy to say that we want to be better, but we need to make sure we are better on the pitch.”

Whether Newcastle formalize their interest in the player and submit an offer may depend on their own departures, but mostly on Tottenham’s going down the Pyramid ranks into the Championship at the end of the season.

The Magpies arrive on the back of a 3-2 home defeat to Brentford, their third straight Premier League loss and fifth consecutive match without a win in all competitions, and with manager Eddie Howe under very serious pressure.

That disastrous run has Howe’s side in the bottom half of the table, closer to relegation than they are to the UCL places, but still with an outside chance to make it there.

Away from home, Newcastle have struggled throughout the season and have scored more than once in only two league matches on the road, a problem aggravated by injuries limitting Howe’s lineup options.

Tottenham, meanwhile, sit just above Newcastle after a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United. They are without suspended captain Cristian Romero and have a lengthy injury list, particularly in defence. The Spurs have failed to win any of their last seven league matches, so you know what’s coming.

On Miley, Gordon and Joelinton…

“Miley, I need to see today - we’ll get another update on his progress. He got a nasty bang to his leg so it’s like a sort of dead leg that’s dragged on a little bit longer than we thought, so we’ll see how he is.

On one of the toughest spells of his reign…

“I think (it is) any time when you’re not getting the results that you want. I don’t think performances have been particularly bad - statistically we’re still pretty strong in every game, but the results certainly haven’t matched that.

”It’s been a difficult run of games, it will continue to be a difficult run of games for us, but that’s where we all need to show our strength of character, resolve, resilience and our feeling of how important this is to us. That needs to show, most importantly, on the pitch.”

On the need for unity…

“I think if you don’t have that, you lose everything. At the moment we still have that, and that’s the most important thing. The supporters, even on Saturday, again were incredible for us. That’s never taken for granted - that’s never, from our side, expected. We have to earn it.

“We have to continue to have the respect of our supporters, and the only way we can do that is with our intention in the next game, with how we attack the next game, with everything we give off with our body language - the supporters will feed off it, and we need to make sure it’s a positive response. I’m confident it will be, and I can’t thank the supporters for their loyalty enough.”

On where the Magpies must improve…

“I think firstly we have to defend better. When you look back at the last run of games, we haven’t defended our goal well enough and that’s cost us those games. It’s a simple thing to say and sometimes a difficult thing to execute, but we need to find solutions to our defensive vulnerabilities.

“And of course we need to be more clinical the other way. The two things go hand-in-hand. We’ve not defended well enough and we haven’t been clinical enough at the other end, so it’s a bad mix and that’s a big issue for us.”

On Saturday’s result and moving on…

“I was really disappointed on Saturday with the result. We’ve tried to take ownership of that, and now we focus on the future. Hopefully we’ll have a good day’s training today, and a massive game tomorrow.”

Newcastle United welcome Burnley to St James’ Park on Saturday, aiming to return to the top half of the Premier League table.

The Magpies drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, while Burnley continue to struggle near the bottom of the table after a fifth straight defeat.

Eddie Howe’s side led twice against Spurs through Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon, but conceded deep into stoppage time, leaving the team frustrated about their many missed chances and that super late collapse.

Newcastle enter Saturday 12th with 19 points, having extended their unbeaten home run to seven games in all competitions. They have also won all three home league matches this season against teams below them and have taken maximum points from their last six meetings with Burnley.

Burnley’s midweek defeat to Crystal Palace extended their losing run to five league games. The Clarets have taken just one point from their last seven away matches and have conceded 21 goals on the road — the worst record in the league.

Newcastle remain without Nick Pope, who is sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury. Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Will Osula and Yoane Wissa also remain out, though Wissa is close to returning and could at least hit the pine this weekend.

Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk

On Sandro Tonali, who was withdrawn at half-time during Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham…

”He’s had a scan and we don’t think it’s too bad. We’ll give him every chance to declare himself fit. It was a knock very similar to the one Joelinton suffered, a dead leg type feeling.

“Sandro felt it was concerning enough to get scanned but we’ll see how he is today and we’ll give him every chance to be fit.”

On Yoane Wissa, awaiting his Magpies bow…

”We did an 11v11 game, sort of for him, on Wednesday which was good and more minutes for him. Round about half an hour - he did well. So far he’s come through everything.

“We still have training today and we’ll make a decision as to whether he’s ready to not just be fit but fit to make a difference and fit to perform to his high standards.”

On Sven Botman…

“Sven has had an injection. We hope that will bring back his return quite quickly but now there is a time period for the injection to work which I think is about a week then we’ll see how he is.”

On losing points from winning positions…

”It’s been really painful for us. Also, there’s a psychological blow that happens when you do that. Set play against Arsenal, set play again against Tottenham - it’s frustrating. All we can do is work on it and try to put it right. “I don’t think there’s any mysterious reason for that underneath. We’re looking at patterns and trends all the time and I don’t think there’s something fundamentally wrong but we can certainly do better.”

On finding consistency, with Newcastle aiming to extend their unbeaten league run to four matches…

”It feels like it’s one of the most competitive Premier League seasons I’ve experienced. Every team we’ve played this season has been strong and has a clear vision, identity and way of playing. You see the table and it tells a story - everyone is searching for consistency and back to back wins. “If you get them you elevate your position and if you don’t, as we are, we’re wanting to move higher in the table but we’re seeking that run that will take us there.”

On Martin Dúbravka, with the Slovakian goalkeeper set for a return to St. James’ Park following his departure last summer, ending a seven-year stint on Tyneside…

“An unbelievable professional and a very good goalkeeper. Long before I came to the club, he etched his name into legend status for what he did for such a long period of time and how dependable and reliable he was for the football club in difficult moments. I’m sure he’ll get a warm welcome from the supporters.”

Howay!

Date: Saturday, December 6nd

Kick-off: 15:00 BST / 10:00 EST

Location: St. James’ Park, Newcastle (England)

For all your watching needs, check LiveSoccerTV.

Newcastle United will continue their Carabao Cup defense with a home tie against Tottenham Hotspur in one of four all-Premier League contests confirmed in Wednesday’s fourth-round draw.

The Magpies, who beat Bradford City 4-1 in the third round, will welcome Spurs to St James’ Park as they look to extend their hold on the competition.

Eddie Howe’s side are still trying to find some consistency in attack after a summer full of moves, but Joelinton and William Osula both struck twice in midweek to secure progress over Bradford in a must-win game for the Magpies.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will host Brighton at the Emirates, while Liverpool face Crystal Palace at Anfield in what will be the sides’ third meeting in just a few months. Chelsea will travel to Molineux to meet Wolves, completing the quartet of Premier League clashes.

Lower-league representation remains strong, with Grimsby Town, who knocked out giant-turned-minnow Manchester United earlier in the competition, rewarded with a home tie against Brentford. Wycombe Wanderers also drew Premier League opposition and will host Fulham.

There is also a historic Welsh clash coming as Wrexham face Championship rivals Cardiff City in an all-Welsh match, while Swansea City take on defending Premier League champions Manchester City at home.

Fourth-round games will be played in the week commencing October 27.

Carabao Cup Fourth-Round Draw

Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Grimsby Town vs Brentford

Swansea City vs Manchester City

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Wrexham vs Cardiff City

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

Wolves vs Chelsea

Wycombe Wanderers vs Fulham