Eddie Howe has told the Newcastle United owners that it will cost a huge amount of money to replace Callum Wilson, and he is not wrong.

The Toon number nine’s future at St James’ Park is uncertain, having almost departed the club during the January transfer window.

Callum Wilson has since been linked with a move away from Tyneside this summer, but Eddie Howe has warned that it might be unwise to let him go.

Ahead of Newcastle’s game against Crystal Palace, Howe spoke to the media, and admitted that the club will need to spend a lot of money to sign another striker if they decide to let Wilson go.

“If you lose a player of that quality, to then find a player of equal standard will cost the club a lot of money,” he said.

And that is evident based on one of the forwards who the Magpies have been linked with.

Former England goalkeeper David James recently suggested that Newcastle should replace Callum Wilson with a former Toon striker, and he is actually someone who is on the club’s radar.

Brentford star Ivan Toney has been linked with a move back to Newcastle United, as he prepares to leave the Bees.

However, his current asking price makes a return to St James’ Park very unlikely.

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Where Newcastle stand regarding Ivan Toney

According to Sportslens, Brentford will allow Toney to leave if they receive a fee of between £55million and £60million. And that fee is why there is suddenly not a wealth of clubs chasing his signature.

They report that Arsenal are no longer keen, while Tottenham are put off by the 28-year-old striker’s asking price.

And that appears to be the case for Newcastle United too, with Sportslens adding that the Magpies will keep an eye on the situation in case an opportunity comes up. In short, they will wait to see if his asking price drops.

But while multiple clubs are walking away, Sportslens believe that Chelsea are not put off and are considered the favourites to sign Toney this summer. They report that he would be open to a move to Stamford Bridge.

A St James’ Park return for Toney is surely unlikely

If the figures reported are correct, there is no way that Newcastle will re-sign Toney.

A fee of around £60million would make him the Magpies’ second most expensive signing ever, behind current top scorer Alexander Isak.

No matter what, Isak will be the main striker at Newcastle next season, so there is surely no way the Magpies will spend that kind of money for Toney to act as backup.

Instead, they want a versatile forward who can operate in different positions. That would be a better use of funds, during a summer in which Newcastle will want to get as much out of their budget as possible.