Anthony Elanga reacts after being told Newcastle United want sign him on Sweden duty

At the end of the latest summer transfer window, Newcastle United submit a £50m deal for Anthony Elanga on deadline day which was rejected by Nottingham Forest.

1. Earlier in that window, Newcastle were forced to sell Elliot Anderson and Forest snapped up the opportunity for £35m, but the Magpies left it too late to bring Elanga in the opposite direction.

However, Newcastle remain interested in Elanga and the 22-year-old winger appears to be a top target heading into the summer.

Elanga is an ideal Miguel Almiron replacement for Newcastle, and he is expected to cost around £50 million.

Elanga joined Alexander Isak in the Swedish national team this month – Isak is one of 14 Newcastle players on international duty.

The attacking duo started up front in a strike partnership for Sweden on Saturday, but they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg in a friendly match. Isak was slammed by Swedish media for his performance.

Ahead of the match, Elanga spoke to the media and he was asked about the transfer links to Newcastle.

As quoted by Swedish outlet Fotboll Skanalen, this is what Elanga had to say: “If I have a good season there will always be teams that want to talk.

“But right now I’m in Nottingham and I’m happy there.”

Elanga seemed to confirm that Newcastle “want to talk” about a potential move, but he also insisted he is happy at Forest. A deal in the summer could prove difficult.

Despite having just lifted the Carabao Cup – Newcastle’s first major trophy in 70 years – Eddie Howe will want his players back fit and focused when they return from international duty.

That’s because there is still plenty to play for this season from Newcastle’s perspective. Newcastle are chasing a top-five finish which should be enough to secure Champions League qualification.