It may be a few years before spades are in the ground but Newcastle United's key decision makers are plotting a new state-of-the-art training ground to help transport the Magpies to the next level.

A site has still not been agreed for the new location, while Newcastle have short-term plans to continue renovating and improving the club's current Benton base. However, further down the line the Tyneside outfit are very much hope to transform their training facilities in a new location.

The amount of vast funding set to be made available varies from report to report but the general understanding appears to be that north of £200m will be set aside for the complex project when the time comes. Yet, just a mere 185 miles down the road Newcastle have seen what is possible with around half that budget as Leicester City put their Premier League title and Champions League gains to good use.

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Unveiled in December 2020, the Foxes now boast one of the best in class training venues in the top flight after the 18-month 'McLaren' construction project. In total, the Midlands outfit now work out of a complex that has 21 playing surfaces, including 14 full-size pitches and a 500-seater mini stadia for academy players to watch the first-team.

Inside, players train in a customised gym, which includes fitness and hydrotherapy suites. Modern tactical offices, medical centres, media areas, dining areas and revamped academy training pitches are also seen at the Seagrave facility. Meanwhile, next door a nine-hole golf course proves popular with the players.

“Of all the investments we have made in the Club, this has been our most significant," Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said after unveiling the £100m project. "It is an investment in our players of today and our players of tomorrow, putting some of the very best facilities in the world at the heart of their everyday environment.

"It elevates the Club’s offering to its players and staff to an entirely new level and is a key component in making our progress of recent years sustainable."

Newcastle have taken great strides to improve their base at Darsley Park after years of underfunding, with new dining areas, modern offices and improved gym spaces just a few of the upgrades made since 2021. However, Howe - and the club - know the north east outfit need the very best infrastructure available to continue their growth on and off the pitch.

"I'd certainly like to think so [the owners will invest in infrastructure]," said the Newcastle boss said last week. "The infrastructure is so important when you're trying to build a football club upwards and forwards.

"The training ground is where the players live day to day. That environment is key. It can help you recruit players. It can help you keep players happy.

"We need world-class facilities if the club's ambitions are to be realised and, of course, that's interlinked to the stadium. Our stadium is fantastic now and I love playing there, but if we are to improve, whether that means staying or leaving, whatever the outcome, trying to bring world-class facilities here will be a game-changer for us."