Newcastle respond as Nottingham Forest brutally reject Anthony Elanga transfer bid

Newcastle could pursue a trio of other targets after having a £45m bid rejected for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, with moves for Johan Bakayoko, Karim Adeyemi and Mohammad Kudus all under consideration.

The Magpies are eager to recruit a new winger at St James' Park as they prepare for a season in the Champions League. Last season boss Eddie Howe lost Miguel Almiron and he is keen for more competition to Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy on the right flank.

Elanga is high up on Howe's wishlist after watching the former Manchester United star dazzle in Forest's superb season that led to them securing European football.

The Sweden international terrorised defences in the Premier League as he hit six goals and 11 assists in total and he has now turned the heads of several clubs.

His form resulted in Newcastle lodging a bid that was swiftly rejected by Forest, who have no plans to sell him - and value him closer to £60m.

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According to Sky Sports, Newcastle are weighing up whether to make a second bid but are now exploring alternatives. Bakayoko is one option - after the Dutchman helped PSV win the Eredivisie title with 12 goals in all competitions from the wing.

Dortmund's Adeyemi is also being targeted after his 12 strikes and seven assists overall for the German side - though a move for West Ham's Kudus could be most alluring.

Kudus didn't have the best season for the Hammers as they struggled to finish 14th in the Premier League, so the Hammers might demand less for the Ghana international given his stock has dropped slightly.

The 23-year-old dazzled when he first joined West Ham in 2023-24 as he scored 14 and assisted six, leading to interest from the likes of Arsenal.

Newcastle's chase of Elanga comes at a time when they are fearful of losing key striker Alexander Isak. Liverpool are among the teams eyeing up the forward, who is an international team-mate of Elanga's.

Isak is Newcastle's most prized asset after he smashed in 27 goals for the Magpies, leading them to a top four finish and a Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool.

If the Reds do want to secure the signature of Isak, they'll have to cough up at least £100m - which would be a tall order considering Arne Slot's side just splashed out an English club-record fee of £116.5m for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.

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