Newcastle come out swinging as £24.5m Leeds transfer suddenly plunged into doubt

Newcastle are looking to bring Bilal El Khannouss to St James' Park as Eddie Howe seeks attacking reinforcements, with the Foxes midfielder also on the radar of Leeds United

Newcastle are reportedly planning to outmanoeuvre Leeds in the race to sign Leicester's star midfielder Bilal El Khannouss. The Magpies have had several targets pinched from under their noses this summer, but are now planning a hijack of their own.

El Khannouss's release clause stands at around £24.5 million, and Newcastle are 'ready' to trigger it. Eddie Howe has had a challenging summer in the transfer market, with talisman Alexander Isak eyeing a move to Liverpool. The club has also missed out on several high-profile targets to their Premier League rivals.

Newcastle manager Howe is now aiming to turn the tide and deal a blow to Leeds by bringing the Moroccan international, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal this summer to St James' Park.

Leicester acquired El Khannouss for £19.5m from Belgian side Genk last summer, but he could be on his way out due to a contract clause that can be activated following Leicester's relegation from the Premier League last season, according to The Telegraph.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke had shown interest in the attacking midfielder, but with the player's clause set to expire this week, the Magpies are ramping up their efforts to secure El Khannouss's signature ahead of The Whites.

El Khannouss played the full 90 minutes of Leicester's win over Sheffield United in the first match of the Championship season. The 21-year-old provided both assists for the goals scored by Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes in the 2-1 victory, reports the Express.

Howe is on a mission to bolster his attacking options this summer, and El Khannouss, who stood out in an otherwise lacklustre season for Leicester last year, could be a savvy acquisition.

Newcastle have already missed the boat on several targets this summer. Hugo Ekitike, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko were all on the Magpies' radar, but Ekitike ended up at Liverpool while Mbeumo, Cunha and Sesko all opted for Old Trafford.

The Toon's heightened interest in El Khannouss comes as Isak, 25, has reportedly told the club he no longer wants to play for them. The bombshell comes amid strong interest from Liverpool, who have already had a £110million offer for the Swedish star rebuffed.

Isak moved to Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 and has since netted 54 goals in 86 Premier League matches. He was the league's second highest scorer last season and also found the back of the net in Newcastle's Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool.

However, he has been absent from Newcastle's pre-season activities and was also left out of the club's Far East tour. Isak is currently training separately from his team-mates in England after embarking on a solo pre-season with his former club, Sociedad.

As reported by The Athletic, Isak, who still has three years left on his contract, reportedly has no intention of rejoining the Magpies squad and is believed to have vacated his Newcastle residence.

Howe's team kick off their Premier League season this Saturday against Aston Villa, and it's widely anticipated that Isak won't be involved in the action.