Newcastle United after Premier League defender and striker

While much of the summer transfer window rumors have been about Newcastle United going after another striker, the Toon also have a need on their back line. According to the The Mirror, Alan Pardew's top two targets for the summer are Aston Villa striker Darren Bent and West Ham defender James Tomkins, who Newcastle bid on back in the January window.

The Bent to Pardew connection is known, as the two spent time together at Charlton Athletic, but the fear is that the Magpies might get the 29-year old striker on the cheap and then think they're done looking for help at the striker position. Fortunately, it seems Kinnear is keen to try to bring in Bent and one of either Wilfried Bony, Pierre Aubameyang, or Andre-Pierre Gignac along with Dent considering Newcastle has reportedly already bid on all three strikers.

The price tag for Tomkins on the other hand is rumored to be around the £5 million mark, despite the fact that co-chairman David Gold has said the defender is off limits. West Ham just shelled out the £15 for former Toon striker Andy Carroll from Liverpool, so it's possible they would want to recoup some cash.

While it seems doubtful Mike Ashley would spend this kind of money out of the gate in the transfer window, bringing in Dent with another one of the strikers the Toon have bid on wouldn't seem so bad, considering Dent is rumored to be on the cheap.

Keep reading:

• Toon reportedly bid €18 million on Aubameyang

• Newcastle United reported place £12 million bid on Andre-Pierre Gignac

• Hatem Ben Arfa and Newcastle hope to lock up new contract

• Newcastle United make a reported £12 million bid on Wilfried Bony