Newcastle United now eyeing potential summer move for £25m striker who scored St James' Park hat-trick this season

Newcastle United are in the market for a striker to support and indeed replace Alexander Isak should the Swede succumb to injury again in the future.

Isak missed a lot of football last season as Newcastle struggled to keep their squad together, but this season his absences have been mercifully fewer and short, but it's unfair to expect him to shoulder the burden of scoring all of the club's goals which has pretty much been the situation this season.

The main backup for Isak is of course Callum Wilson who has been absent for most of the campaign, and with Will Osula not yet trusted by Eddie Howe, we've seen wingers and midfielders deployed as centre forwards. Hardly ideal.

Finding a striker who is good enough for the standard Newcastle are looking for but also aware that they are likely to play second fiddle to Isak is going to be a monumental task for Paul Mitchell this summer.

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Newcastle could recruit the son of their former striker Patrick Kluivert this summer

A player that Newcastle now believe could fit that bill is Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert, who The Chronicle believe could be available for £25 million this summer.

Justin Kluivert could follow in the footsteps of his famous father Patrick and ply his trade at St James' Park. He's clearly comfortable on the hallowed turf seeing as he bagged a hat-trick there earlier this season as Bournemouth destroyed Newcastle in their own back yard.

Kluivert joined Bournemouth for £9.6 million in 2023 but it was this season where he's found his form, netting 13 goals in 31 games of the Cherries.

Justin Kluivert is impressed by the project at Newcastle

Kluivert's versatility could make him a strong acquisition for Newcastle, able to play on either flank or as an attacking midfielder, and his eye for goal certainly suggests he could be deployed as a centre-forward if needs be.

Tottenham and Manchester United are also keen on Kluivert but at £25 million he could still prove to be a bargain. The Chronicle goes as far as to suggest that Newcastle could hold an advantage over Spurs and Man United as Kluivert is impressed by the project at the Toon. It surely can't hurt that he could be more successful here than his dad.

We'd prefer if Newcastle found an out-and-out striker, but we can't deny that Kluivert could be a good Plan B.