Newcastle United find themselves in a similar situation to a number of other Premier League clubs this summer having not done much business in the market.
Eddie Howe has been able to welcome his former player Lloyd Kelly to St James’ Park after he landed on a free transfer.
Other than that, Newcastle have only seen two backup goalkeepers and one young prospect having arrived on Tyneside.
The hopes of Newcastle fans will have been boosted in recent weeks following the appointment of director of football Paul Mitchell.
Transfer dealings now rest on his shoulders and the former Tottenham Hotspur man has been attempting to get the Toon going in the market.
There is now one player who would approve a move to the north east but finds himself waiting on Mitchell to finalise a deal.
Defender is now waiting on Newcastle to seal agreement
Coming out of the 2023/24 campaign, it was apparent Newcastle needed some bodies through the doors in this window.
Injuries riddled Howe’s plans for the season which saw them drop out of the European spots altogether after Manchester United’s FA Cup win.
It was apparent the Toon were not equipped for a season in the Champions League as well as trying to compete on all fronts.
But still, Newcastle find themselves standing still in terms of signing players as their fans await their first big purchase.
According to CaughtOffside, AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw is prepared to greenlight the potential move to Newcastle.
The report does also say that he would happily remain in Milan, however, he would be keen on the prospect of testing himself in the Premier League.
Milan are said to be willing to listen to offers of around €45m (£38m) this summer for the German defender.
However, as things stand, Newcastle are still short having offered around £30m already for Thiaw with Mitchell continuing to work on the deal.
Newcastle only have three weeks before season opener
The Toon are now in a battle against time to get any new signings over the line ahead of their Premier league opener against Southampton.
Although three weeks is plenty of time, the clock is ticking when it comes to getting their targets through the doors and giving them an opportunity to settle before the season starts.
Next up for Howe’s side is a friendly against Hull City, the Magpies then take off for Japan where the 46-year-old will hope so see some new faces on the plane.
A pre-season tour of a foreign country is the perfect opportunity for new signings to bond with their new teammates.
Newcastle are now risking their signings landing right before the season starts or even during the first weeks of the campaign.