Newcastle United’s plans for 2023 remain unchanged following the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.

Sources have confirmed to 90min that the club’s ownership group are ‘fully behind’ Newcastle’s bid to become one of the Premier League’s top clubs – both on and off the field – and will continue to work at pace this year.

Off the field, the Magpies are working hard on plans to expand their St James’ Park home – despite limitations to their city centre location – while 90min understands that they are ready to push ahead with their plans to become a multi-club organisation.

Manchester City’s owners City Group are the market leaders in this field, owning 12 clubs around the world, and it’s a concept that Newcastle are keen to follow.

Sources have told 90min that the first club on Newcastle’s radar will likely be in Europe – either in France or more likely Belgium – and that will help build not only relations, but also further the club’s ability to send players out on loan.

Newcastle anticipate competing for the world’s best players in the years to come and recognise that controlling their long-term futures will be far easier if they have the ability to loan between clubs they own.

Australian teenager Garang Kuol, on loan at Hearts, is very much in this mould – he featured for The Socceroos at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – and more players of his ilk are likely to arrive this summer.

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The main focus, however, remains strengthening Eddie Howe’s first team squad with a number of new signings, with as many as five or six incomings being targeted.

Signing two forward players is a priority for Newcastle and their number one target remains Leicester’s James Maddison, who they will push for this summer and are confident of signing.

Christian Pulisic and Moussa Diaby are others on Newcastle’s radar, but they won’t finish there – a new full-back, centre-back and central midfielder are also desired in a bid to maintain the momentum generated this season.

That could mean that some of the players who have featured heavily for Howe this season will need to make way, but he admitted after the defeat to Man Utd at Wembley that improvements are essential for the club to move forward.

“I hope we are a different Newcastle and improving continually,” the former Bournemouth boss said. “The players have done incredibly well to elevate us to an incredible position, but we are not the finished article and it only gets harder because the competition will improve. 

“We are constantly assessing and evaluating where we need to improve.“