as sporting director - the man who took Anderson to Forest

But Forest's chief football officer, Wilson, is the man Newcastle want and a figurehead that Howe is believed to have already approved of behind the scenes.

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Wilson's forte is transfer negotiations, an area that Newcastle are keen to improve on after missing out on a host of targets early in the summer window when Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Hugo Ekitike turned the club down while Newcastle watched on as Alexander Isak went on strike.