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As Neil Diamond sang: "Then I sold Guimaraes, now I'm a Baleba"

These are not quite the circumstances the Toon Army would have wanted, but supporters could at least yet see their team make a major statement in the transfer market and lure an important player away from a Premier League rival this summer.

Newcastle United's choice to sell Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali earlier this summer angered fans and was one of the factors behind Eddie Howe deciding to leave the club.

That has left the club's owners, already under pressure, needing to rebuild some trust and show they remain ambitious about the future after a disappointing campaign last season.

Newcastle have already begun reinvesting part of the £237m generated from their three major departures.

Goalkeepers Ewen Jaouen and Lukas Hornicek, winger Bazoumana Toure, and midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have all joined this summer for a combined £136.6m.

Supporters may reasonably be worried that all five are still unproven in the Premier League, having arrived from France, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.

To add to those concerns, Hornicek is the only one among the new signings who was born before the 2006 Winter Olympics, underlining how much Newcastle are banking on youth and potential.

A player with even a little more Premier League know-how could therefore make a big difference, and reports now suggest Newcastle are preparing a sizeable bid for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.

The Cameroon international is hardly an old hand himself at 22, but he has already made 92 Premier League appearances since joining from Lille to move to the Amex in 2023.

Baleba had previously been linked with Manchester United, but teamTALK say their interest has now cooled.

Reports differ on whether Newcastle want to make their move immediately or wait until Baleba has recovered from an ankle ligament injury.

The Daily Mail has reported that this is "not an active transfer deal" because of that injury, but instead "one to keep an eye on".

However, talkSPORT's sources have indicated that Newcastle believe a deal could be completed for £65m, while also casting doubt on whether Brighton would be willing to do business at that figure.

With Newcastle, nothing ever seems straightforward, does it?