OPINION
If Newcastle United avoid relegation from the Premier League this season, the club face an absolutely crucial summer transfer window as they look to re-cement their place as a force in the top-tier.
It has been around 15 years since the Magpies were a real force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, with the last really positive finish being that fifth place under Alan Pardew in 2011/12.
And now, if Rafa Benitez manages to steer his side clear of relegation, then he will have the task to create a side that can once again start to challenge in the top-half of the table.
In order to do this, he is going to need a focal point for his team, and there is one player who looks likely to move on this summer that could be that man: Celtic striker Moussa Dembele.
The France youth international has been a revelation for the Hoops ever since he joined the club on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer of 2016.
The 21-year-old has scored at a rate of more than a goal per game in his time in Scotland (45 goals in 80 games), and that form has led to him being linked with moves to several Premier League clubs.
There is no doubt that Dembele is ready to make the step up from Scottish football to the Premier League, and he may well be the man that brings Newcastle back into the top table.
The young striker has pace, strength, touch and finishing, and is the kind of player you can build a team around.
Newcastle’s current striking options consist of Dwight Gayle, Joselu and Ayoze Perez, with Islam Slimani on loan from Leicester.
None of those players, bar possibly Slimani, are the kind of striker that is going to fire his side to a decent Premier League finish.
It is quite clear that the Magpies need a better striking option, and Dembele is the perfect candidate.
The Frenchman will not come cheap, probably costing around £25million, but if Newcastle do stay up then that kind of money should not be too much of a problem.