Newcastle draw up January transfer plan with Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell dispute resolved

Newcastle United are moving ahead with plans for the January transfer window and sporting director Paul Mitchell and manager Eddie Howe are determined to put their summer issues behind them.

Telegraph Sport has been told by multiple Newcastle sources over the past few days that Mitchell and Howe have expressed a desire to make their relationship work for the good of the club.

They have acknowledged that the summer transfer window reached a disappointing conclusion as they failed to sign centre-back Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace or winger Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest but expressed a desire to look to the future rather than the past.

“Both men know where they stand with each other now,” one well placed source said. “There have been no arguments in the last few weeks.

“They have got to know each other and the way they both want to work and whatever issues there have been are behind them.”

Mitchell admitted in an interview last week that there had been “healthy conflict” between the two most important figures on the football side of the business over the summer, sparking talk of a potential civil war at St James’s Park.

Howe was initially unsettled by the summer’s boardroom changes and sought clarification about what power he had to influence recruitment, insisting he had to feel “happy and supported” if he was going to remain on Tyneside.

Reports over the weekend claimed that Mitchell was considering leaving his role as sporting director after just two months because of friction with Howe but that has been strenuously denied since.

Indeed, although there have been teething problems according to insiders, they have pointed to the fact Howe publicly called for unity before the international break and was keen not to apportion blame for a disappointing window.

Instead, with money to spend in January, Mitchell’s ability as a sporting director, who can get deals done, will be judged on how he performs in the winter transfer window.

Club remain interested in Guehi

He will work with Howe to identify potential targets, but it will be left to the sporting director to lead negotiations, as he did in the summer.

A renewed effort to sign Guehi is anticipated, although that will depend on whether Palace are willing to reduce an asking price that had risen to more than £70 million in August.

Guehi will have just 18 months left on his contract in January unless the south London club can persuade him to sign an extension before the New Year.

Newcastle return to Premier League action with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday and are fifth, having made an unbeaten start to the season.