Newcastle United are weighing up a move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

This follows their £45 million bid for Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga being knocked back.

The Magpies are now exploring alternative targets, with Kudus and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo both under consideration.

Forest Turn Down Newcastle’s Approach

Newcastle’s offer for Elanga was swiftly rejected by Forest, who have no plans to let the winger leave. The 23-year-old had a standout season, scoring six goals and providing 11 assists in a side that finished seventh and reached the FA Cup semi-finals. Only Mohamed Salah and Jacob Murphy racked up more assists in the league.

This isn’t the first time Newcastle have shown interest in Elanga. His name came up during talks with Forest last summer, though that negotiation eventually resulted in the signing of goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos instead. Forest are said to value Elanga at closer to £60 million, which marks a significant increase from the £15 million they paid Manchester United for him in 2022.

Kudus on the Magpies’ Radar

With Elanga out of reach for now, Ornstein reports that Kudus is being looked at as a possible solution on Newcastle’s right flank. Miguel Almirón left for Atlanta United in January, which left Jacob Murphy as the only senior option in that role.

Manager Eddie Howe has made it clear he wants business wrapped up early. “Yeah, speed is key for us,” Howe said. “You can have a period where you think you’ve got time, but then… you look around very quickly and realise that time’s elapsed and you’ve missed opportunities that you won’t get again.”

Newcastle are planning to complete key signings before pre-season kicks off on July 7. Their Premier League campaign begins against Aston Villa on August 16. For West Ham, Kudus could now attract summer interest following a strong debut season that saw him score 14 goals in all competitions.