Newcastle United will open talks with Eddie Howe over a new contract this summer as reward for rescuing their Premier League season.
Sportsmail understands that, while all parties are relaxed about the situation, there is a realisation that the head coach has only two years to run on the deal he signed when replacing Steve Bruce in November. That is thought to be worth around the £4million per year he previously earned at Bournemouth.
The club’s Saudi-backed owners are delighted with the job Howe has done in taking the team from 19th to the safety of mid-table, reuniting the dressing-room and re-engaging supporters in the process. He has also been shortlisted for Manager of the Year.
The 44-year-old has forged a good relationship with co-owners Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and they will be conscious of other clubs admiring his work.
Howe’s wife and three children will relocate to Newcastle from the south coast in the coming months and he sees his long-term future at St James' Park.
Negotiations are set to commence over the summer and the hope is that Howe will have agreed a new contact by the time next season kicks off in early August.
By then, he will likely have spent the close-season acting as the club’s de facto director of football, with Dan Ashworth’s arrival delayed amid a demand for £5m in compensation from Brighton.
Howe, Staveley, Ghodoussi and chief scout Steve Nickson will take the lead on transfers, although it is expected that the bulk of a limited budget will be reserved for a new striker.
