The countdown has already begun to the summer transfer window, and Newcastle United are hoping to finally flex their financial muscles after 18 months of relative austerity.

The past three transfer windows have come and gone without the Magpies making any serious investments - Lewis Hall's permanent deal from Chelsea excepted - as Eddie Howe has seen his squad reduced by the need to sell players to raise revenue. The exits of Elliot Anderson, Yankuba Minteh, Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly may have not been ideal for the United head coach, but could well pay off in the summer months.

Who Newcastle target will depend on their final Premier League position, with the carrot of Champions League football a potential gamechanger when it come to identifying targets. If United want to find those elite players who can improve their already impressive strongest XI, then they must in turn be able to offer a head-turning deal that involves competing at the highest level.

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Yet even if Howe guides his side back to Europe's top table, the uncomfortable truth is that Newcastle are still not ready to challenge the elite when it comes to transfer targets. It's a fact the club's hierarchy already know, in all likelihood, and should hugely impact who they pursue.

After 20 years of Newcastle's name disappearing from the conversation when it came to football's top stories, it's great to see United linked with the exciting stars of the game. Benjamin Sesko and Jonathan David are two stand-out examples of players likely to be on the move in the summer, with Newcastle and just about everyone else interested.

And that's the issue. We've seen time and again in recent years that when it comes to a bun fight, United are left behind. Dominik Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa chose Liverpool, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis signed for Man City, Tosin Adarabioyo and Pedro Neto are now Chelsea players, while they couldn't get a deal for James Maddison over the line . . . and Spurs did.

It's a clear warning ahead of the summer, when Newcastle can ill-afford wasting too much time in pursuing targets who could go eleswhere - but they already have the blueprint for success.

Alexander Isak may be the hottest of Premier League properties right now, but I don't remember Newcastle fighting off all-comers to land the Swede back in 2022. Similarly Bruno Guimaraes arrived under the radar of their top-flight rivals, with no doubt several questions asked of scouting teams when the Brazilian proved his class for Newcastle.

AC Milan were keen on Sven Botman but it was essentially a two-horse race that United won, and Serie A is not the destination it once was, as Sandro Tonali's switch from the San Siro to St James' proved. You could argue Newcastle held off advances from Chelsea to ensure Anthony Gordon became a United player, but when it came to the transfer, Newcastle were the only presence at the table.

It is these deals which Newcastle again must target this summer. Forget the race for the headline-grabbing superstars, there is quality in abundance out there and the United scouting network has already proven it can unearth genuine gems. A time will come when they can compete with Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal for the elite, but until then, they must trust their system.