Newcastle United Transfer News and Rumours Tracker: Week of May 5

Just one game stands between Newcastle United and the end of the 2013-14 campaign ahead of what many hope will be a busy summer of comings and goings. 

The Magpies have endured a torrid second-half of the season, and though the rot was stopped against Cardiff City on Saturday, the 3-0 win was played against a backdrop of protest and vitriol.

Boss Alan Pardew will learn his fate in the near future, with owner Mike Ashley considering a change of manager before he releases any transfer funds, according to Luke Edwards in The Telegraph.

But whoever is in the St. James’ Park hot-seat, it is shaping up to be a crucial transfer window on Tyneside and here we look at the latest rumours surrounding the Toon.

Last updated: May 7, 9 a.m. GMT

He may be set for showdown talks with Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley next week, but that hasn’t stopped Toon boss Alan Pardew lining up a bid for Spurs winger Andros Townsend. 

According to The Journal’s Mark Douglas, the Tottenham Hotspur wide-man has been earmarked by the Magpies along with Swansea City’s £8 million–rated Jonjo Shelvey.

Townsend has seemingly dropped down the pecking order at White Hart Lane and is keen to rediscover the kind of form that saw him make a big impact with England this term.

Sunderland’s Jack Colback is also being closely monitored but much will depend on Pardew’s immediate future following the club’s recent run of six straight defeats.

A rare piece of good news filtered out of the Newcastle United camp this week as influential captain Fabricio Coloccini confirmed he is staying with the club next season.

It was thought the Argentine international could seek a move back to his home country during the summer after an unsettling period of off-field problems for the 32-year-old.

But the former AC Milan defender has given Toon fans a well-timed boost by announcing his intention to stay at St. James’ Park and help right the wrongs of the current campaign.

Speaking to The Shields Gazette’s Miles Starforth, Coloccini said:

For sure. I’m going to be here. I had personal problems. Sometimes it’s tough. You have to decide between the problems and the work. Sometimes it’s too difficult. Now it’s finished, and next season I will be here. I’m looking forward to improving. We want the best for Newcastle United.

Out-of-favour winger Wilfried Zaha is set to leave Manchester United this summer, and he could be on his way to Newcastle, according to the Evening Chronicle’s Lee Ryder. 

The highly-rated 21-year-old arrived at Old Trafford for £10 million in January 2013, but he has so far spent the majority of his time on-loan at Crystal Palace and Cardiff City. 

Magpies boss Alan Pardew has monitored the England international for the past two seasons and could well be offered the Ivory Coast-born star as he looks to start a new chapter.

Zaha has failed to earn a regular place at Cardiff this term and is thought to be available for around £7 million.

Despite losing his place in Newcastle United’s defence this season, Steven Taylor is another centre-back who wants to stay at St. James’ Park for the foreseeable future.

The 28-year-old has endured a campaign to forget on Tyneside after being sent off on the opening day at Manchester City and dropping behind Mike Williamson in the pecking order.

But Taylor, who joined the club at youth level in 1995 and is one of their longest-serving players, put his troubles behind him with a late goal against Cardiff City on Saturday.

And speaking to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, he said: “It’s been a frustrating season for me. But I am under contract for another couple of years. I am looking forward to the Liverpool game on Sunday and want to kick on next season.”

Cardiff City’s Fraizer Campbell looks set to leave South Wales following his club’s relegation from the Premier League—and Newcastle United are ready to pounce.

The striker knows all about life in the North-East following a three-and-a-half-year spell at Sunderland, and he could return to the region this summer, as suggested by Mirror Football’s Dave Kidd. 

According to the report, Gus Poyet is keen to take the 26-year-old back to the Stadium of Light after the Bluebirds failed to beat the drop, while Stoke City are also in the hunt.

But Alan Pardew is desperate to reboot his strike force over the coming months, and after bagging nine goals in a struggling side this term, Campbell could be available for as little as £5 million.

After weeks of speculation linking Newcastle United’s Mathieu Debuchy with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, it appears the right-back has new suitors.

The French international was linked with a move to his home country at the beginning of April when The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards suggested he was ready to follow close friend Yohan Cabaye to the Ligue 1 champions.

But according to the Evening Chronicle’s Lee Ryder, Spanish giants Real Madrid entered the race for his signature over the Bank Holiday weekend, and they could make their move after the World Cup.

Debuchy was seen throwing his shirt into the St. James’ Park crowd following the Toon’s final home game of the season on Saturday, and the gesture was seen by many as his way of saying goodbye.