Newcastle close to completing £7m deal for Anderlecht defender Chancel Mbemba

Newcastle United are set to complete their third signing of the summer, with the Telegraph reporting that they are closing in on a deal for Anderlecht defender Chancel Mbemba.

The report states that the deal is set for completion subject to receiving a work-permit for the player, which is unlikely to be a major problem for either party. The Magpies have reportedly triggered his £7m ($11m) release clause, which has accelerated negotiations and should be completed in the next few days.

The Premier League club have been on a spending spree in recent weeks, making two astute signings over the past couple of weeks. They have completed the signing of Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic from Anderlecht, who has indicated in an interview that his teammate Mbemba should be on his way to the club in the near future.

The report states that Mbemba is expected to fly down to England for a medical and the whole deal should be completed before the end of the week. However, this is unlikely to be the end of the transfer business for Newcastle, who are keeping a close eye on Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers and Marseille winger Florian Thauvin.

Meanwhile, Mitrovic, who completed a move to Tyneside on 21 July, revealed that he is extremely happy to be a part of the club and that he will do his best to follow the footsteps of club legend Alan Shearer," Mitrovic told the club's official website.

"I am so happy to have signed for Newcastle. I visited the stadium and it is amazing. I have played in a lot of impressive stadiums in my career but St. James' Park is so big, I can't wait to play my first game here.

"I know how passionate the fans are. This is a club with a very big history and the fans are a big part of that. There will be pressure here, for sure, but I like pressure.

"I also know about the famous players who have played for Newcastle United, like Alan Shearer, who is a hero of mine. I hope I can play like him for this Club. It will be an honour," he added.