Published Jun 11, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Angus is an opinion and features journalist with Football FanCast.

Having graduated from Southampton Solent University with a degree in Sports Journalism in 2022, Angus found a home at FFC after previously writing for Vavel and OurSoundMusic.

A fervent Liverpool supporter, Angus has covered a range of Premier League clubs, from Liverpool and Everton, to the Old Gold of Wolverhampton and the South Coast of Brighton & Hove Albion. Now, he regularly covers Tottenham Hotspur.

Outside of football, Angus is a voracious reader and plays the piano.

The project might have needed a reset, things having gone stale over the past ten months. Now, though, Newcastle cannot afford to blunder once again. They need to hit the nail on the head this summer.

Newcastle in talks to sign new striker

Newcastle may well start the new season with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa in the mix. Both strikers have flattered to deceive this season, but Gordon has been sold, and the Magpies would be unwise to make too many changes.

However, Gordon has spent plenty of time at number nine for the Toon, and so it's clearly important that Howe brings over a new frontman.

Luckily, Newcastle have no intention of repeating last summer's ponderous nature throughout the window, and one of Europe's leading strikers has been earmarked.

According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle are in talks with the father of Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic as he approaches the end of his contract at Juventus.

Vlahovic, 26, represents a unique market opportunity for Newcastle to exploit, but they aren't alone in their interest, with Chelsea also sniffing around.

Why Vlahovic could be a Gordon upgrade at Newcastle

Newcastle's amicable break-up with Gordon is something that could end up being worthwhile, with plenty of cash now in the bank. However, Howe and Wilson need to welcome the right players, and though Vlahovic would need support - from fellow Toon transfer target Victor Munoz, perhaps - he would add the perfect new dimension in attack.

It's been a testing season for Vlahovic in Serie A, finishing the campaign with only ten goals across all competitions. That said, he has played only 23 games in total due to a number of injuries.

In Serie A this season, the Serbia striker scored seven times, starting only 11 games. He is the real deal, someone who would offer a new dimension at St. James' Park.

Gordon has served diligently as a makeshift centre-forward, but that is not his natural berth, and Vlahovic would surely provide Howe with an upgrade in that (providing Newcastle sign a natural winger).

While the intensity of the Premier League could impede Vlahovic in his hopes of maintaining form and consistency in the final third, he has shown in the past that he is “one of the best strikers in the world”, and the fact that Howe would place him in a competitive frontline could allow him to return to his best.

After all, the 6 foot 3 Serbian is a powerful and imposing forward, someone who makes his presence known. In that, he would surely provide Newcastle with a more serious goal threat than Gordon, who is electric and entertaining, but who has scored only six times across each of his past two Premier League seasons.

Fitness levels haven't always been kind to Vlahovic, but he has demonstrated this season an innate capacity to score goals and maintain his sharpness in the danger area.

Newcastle need to sign someone like Munoz to replace Gordon on the left wing, but given the number of matches the Three Lions winger has played up top for Howe, Vlahovic could prove a big upgrade there.