Newcastle United's fate has been sealed and the Tyneside giants will compete in the Champions League next season after emphatic seasonal success this year, and requisite moves on the transfer front must now be made.
What's the latest on Newcastle's pursuit of Harry Maguire?
One name that has entered transfer circulation is Manchester United's world-record £80m centre-back Harry Maguire, with a recent update from Dean Jones stating that the defender is set to depart Old Trafford this summer after falling out of favour under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag.
While there is a vested interest in the 30-year-old from Serie A outfits such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, Newcastle have also been credited as possible suitors, should the Red Devils grant Maguire's departure to a top-four Premier League rival.
It's thought a potential loan move could even be on the cards for the centre-back.
Should Newcastle sign Harry Maguire?
While Maguire has endured a turbulent ride in Manchester at times, perhaps none more so than this season where he has found a regular starting berth hard to come by, he is a commanding and aerially superlative "colossus" – as dubbed by Simon Jordan – to wield at the foot of the pitch.
In March, 90min reported that Maguire was among the players at the Theatre of Dreams informed that they are free to depart at the conclusion of the season, with the Magies stated to be 'monitoring' the situation.
Maguire has made 31 appearances across all competitions this term but has started only eight times in the Premier League, and with £190k-per-week wages, it is unlikely he will remain beyond the summer with a utility role.
Praised for his "dominating" demeanour on the pitch by Ten Hag, Maguire would be a good addition for Newcastle because injecting an imposing presence into a defence that boasts the joint-meanest defence in the English top-flight this term – alongside champions Manchester City – will only enrich the flourishing current crop.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 17% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 11% for rate of blocks and the top 12% for aerials won per 90.
He would surely thrive alongside Sven Botman, who has been a revelation at St. James' Park since signing for £35m from Lille last summer.
While Maguire isn't the most mobile of defenders, he does boast an imposing physicality, which could run in tandem with Botman's own brutish approach to his play.
Indeed the £90k-per-week Dutchman has been lauded as a "leader" by journalist Josh Bunting, a quality he certainly shares with Maguire, while averaging a Premier League match rating of 6.99, as per Sofascore, completing 87% of his passes, making 3.3 clearances per match and winning 67% of his duels.
Such a tenacious and iron-clad partnership would only bear fruit for Howe, and signing Maguire might actually be a shrewd move to take as the Magpies continue their ascent.