Pardew wants to strengthen

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has insisted he is concentrating on arrivals rather than departures in the summer transfer market.



The 50-year-old has spent the weeks since the end of the last Barclays Premier League season reading speculation that some of his biggest names could be lured away from Tyneside. However, while the release clause in striker Demba Ba's contract makes him particularly vulnerable, Pardew and his staff are spending their time assessing the targets they have rather than worrying about who might leave.



The manager told the Evening Chronicle: "We haven't lost anybody yet, despite all of the speculation. We are working to bring in a couple of people to improve the squad. (Owner) Mike (Ashley) has made it clear he is committed to the club and we are working through the process of bringing players in."



The likes of Tim Krul, Cheick Tiote, Hatem Ben Arfa and Ba have been linked with other clubs already this summer having starred in the Magpies' fifth-place finish last season.



But Newcastle have their own targets and are keen to make progress with FC Twente striker Luuk de Jong and Lille's France international full-back Mathieu Debuchy.



Pardew said: "Myself and (chief scout) Graham Carr are keeping an eye on the players we have been tracking during Euro 2012 and seeing how they have performed."