Newcastle United fans divided as Craig Hope reports on Magpies' 'priority' summer transfer target

Paul Mitchell has apparently set his sights on a 'priority' signing for Newcastle United according to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope and fans aren't too convinced.

There are several positions that Newcastle need to strengthen this summer and perhaps their best bet is to recruit versatile players who can cover several positions.

Obviously finding players who can do that, and do it to the kind of level we need, won't be easy, but Paul Mitchell believes he has found one.

It's not a new name to the Newcastle rumour mill by any means, but Craig Hope has now reported for the Daily Mail that Matheus Cunha is top of the list for Newcastle.

Matheus Cunha's versatility could make him the ideal summer signing for Newcastle

As Hope says in his report, Cunha can play on the flanks, as a midfielder or as a number nine, making him the perfect type of player to bring in at this time.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers star has been on Newcastle's radar for a while and the Brazilian certainly seems to have a good rapport with Bruno Guimaraes with the duo pictured together often when on international duty.

At £62.5 million he won't be a cheap acquisition, should Newcastle have to fork out to activate his release clause, but again, his versatility does offset that price to a degree.

Could Eddie Howe get Matheus Cunha to calm down?

As good as Cunha is, and he really is a top player, many Newcastle fans have big questions over his temperament with the 25-year-old more than prone to the odd booking and outburst of madness.

Many fans see that as reason enough to avoid, but as one fan posted on X in response to a fan questioning why we're pursuing Cunha, "Eric Cantona was pretty mental" and who wouldn't have prime Cantona in their side?

Naturally, there are plenty of fans who would be willing to put up with his antics as long as he was delivering on the pitch, and let's be honest, Eddie Howe managed to knock the mental out of Anthony Gordon, so why not do it again with Cunha?

For us, he's a risk we're willing to take. The fact that he's managed to 15 goals for Wolves this season despite them being absolutely pants just shows how amazing he could be when surrounded by top players. Mitchell ... Fetch! It won't be easy as every Premier League club would love to take Cunha this summer, but if we nab one of those Champions League places, we've got to be prime candidates.