Ask those at the top of Newcastle United to describe their approach to this summer window and the word “strategic” will feature. Multiple deals are being pursued at once and there is a belief in the blueprint, both when it comes to incomings and outgoings.There is a clearly defined plan, insiders insist, speaking to The Athletic anonymously so they can talk freely, like others throughout this article. They stress the lessons learned from last year’s damaging off-season are being put into practice.The most harmful mistake of 2025 was how the Alexander Isak saga was handled, and the attempt to ‘normalise’ player sales has already begun. Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona a week ago for a deal worth up to €80million (£69.2m, $92.9m), and that offers Newcastle the financial scope to switch focus towards inward business (even if further outgoings are likely, with Joe Willock available and interest anticipated in Sandro Tonali).But while the tying down of Lewis Miley to a six-year deal and the swift sale of Gordon — for what, pre-World Cup at least, appears to be a reasonable price — should be commended, the reality is that over the past nine months Newcastle have lost their best two forwards and their starting XI has been weakened.How Ross Wilson, the sporting director, and the recruitment team go about replacing Gordon is critical, especially with the striker situation still in flux despite a £119m outlay on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, plus the late-season emergence of Will Osula.Signing an attacker — preferably with versatility and the ability to play across the front line, like Gordon, rather than merely an out-and-out left-winger — is of the utmost priority, alongside bringing in a new No 1.Multiple goalkeepers are expected to arrive, at least one full-back is required, if any midfielder leaves they must be replaced, and more than one attacking player may be required. Fabian Schar signing a one-year contract extension, on reduced terms and with a change in squad status, has lessened Newcastle’s need to bring in a young centre-half.The timings and order of which position is strengthened are fluid; preferably, a forward would join first to fill Gordon’s void, but Newcastle will be dynamic and look to sign top targets when they can, regardless of where they play.People with knowledge of Newcastle’s outlook have told The Athletic about their forward targets.Victor Munoz, the highly rated Osasuna forward who has been named in Spain’s World Cup squad, is admired. There is expected to be competition for his signature, with Real Madrid and Barcelona monitoring the 22-year-old’s situation (with the former retaining options to buy him), and Newcastle know he has a €40m release clause, as reported by The Athletic. Munoz appears to ideally fit the profile of attacker Newcastle are looking to acquire.Zadok Yohanna, the much-coveted 18-year-old right-winger, is another Newcastle have asked about. Playing for AIK in Sweden, the forward has attracted interest from across Europe, and his club confirmed on Sunday that they have “initiated negotiations” for a potential sale. Having predominantly played on the right, Yohanna does not strike as a like-for-like replacement for Gordon, while he is raw, having made just 18 senior appearances.No formal bids have been made for either yet, even if Newcastle have been discussing the potential financials involved to secure multiple prospective targets across several positions.Newcastle have an interest in Zadok Yohanna (Michael Campanella/Getty Images)The expectation is that Gordon’s replacement will be an overseas import. As has consistently been the case post-takeover, the age profile for potential recruits is likely to be between 18 and 24.Howe is a long-term admirer of Jarrod Bowen, who has just been relegated with West Ham United, but a transfer seems unlikely, given he is 29. Reports claiming Newcastle have enquired about Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford have also been dismissed, with his age and salary outside of the parameters being considered.Hoffenheim’s Bazoumana Toure, Koln’s Said El Mala and Real Betis’ Abde Ezzalzouli are among the other wide players Newcastle have been watching.Ideally, Newcastle would like to make at least one signing before the World Cup starts on Thursday, though they will not rush negotiations merely to get a player in early and are keen to avoid being dragged into bidding wars. The Premier League transfer window does not even officially open until Monday, June 15.At least some of Newcastle’s targets are at teams that have qualified for the Champions League, meaning they must choose to leave that behind and join a club outside of Europe if they move. Others have been named in World Cup squads, so some clubs and players may prefer to wait until the tournament is over, in case they excel and the fees they can command and the options available to them increase.Newcastle and Barcelona opted to resolve Gordon’s situation beforehand, given the former’s need to recoup funds and the latter’s desire to get business done early, but those spoken to suspect that broader market movement will come later in the summer. Even so, Newcastle are confident they will lure at least one exciting attacker to Tyneside.While Gordon’s successor is unlikely to immediately offer the same end-product pedigree, given the England international scored 17 goals and provided five assists across all competitions in 2025-26, Newcastle hope to bring in an attacker with huge potential and many of the same key attributes. In that respect, there are parallels with the 21-year-old version of Gordon who Newcastle signed from Everton in January 2023.Adaptability is being sought. Although Gordon is nominally a left-winger, he spent much of the season as a centre-forward and theoretically could be effective down the right. Being able to play multiple positions effectively does narrow the target pool, however, and so natural wide players have also featured during recruitment discussions.Pace and intensity are deemed crucial characteristics in any attacker acquired. Although Howe intends to “evolve” Newcastle’s style, his off-the-ball approach will still require forwards to harry and press, something Gordon exemplified.An ability to break down a low-block defence by accelerating away from challenges or through ingenuity and dribbling would also be beneficial. Howe’s team has struggled against deep-lying back lines, and injecting invention into the team would bring a fresh dimension.That recruit is not going to be the finished product and may be a player elite clubs have watched but have not felt ready to take a risk on, such as Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman before. As with Gordon in 2023 — and Isak the previous year — they may take time to adapt, and it would be unfair to predict them delivering 20-plus goal involvements across all competitions in 2026-27.The belief is that whoever is brought in can flourish under Howe’s tutelage, but that may take time. While Newcastle have lost further top-end quality, they must find the alchemy to make the team as a collective stronger.For now, following Gordon’s exit, supporters are just eager to see signings arrive. If the correct deals are there to be struck, then Newcastle insist they want to act quickly and that they are ready to conclude them. Howe will certainly hope that is the case.