Steve Howey: Newcastle United could lose players

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that manager Alan Pardew could face an uphill struggle to keep hold of his star players.

The Magpies managed to finish in fifth place in the Premier League table this season, narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.

While the likes of Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Fabricio Coloccini have been praised for their performances in the campaign, all three have been linked with moves away from the Sports Direct Arena this summer.

"Alan Pardew has already earmarked some of the players he wants to bring in," Howey told talkSPORT. "Chief scout Graham Carr has done amazingly well. He's gone out and scouted this type of players.

"Clubs that have got a lot of money are now looking at players who had a good season at Newcastle. Alan will have to do really well to keep hold of them all.

Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu has claimed that he is in talks with Newcastle as well as Tottenham Hotspur over potential transfers.