Newcastle United have lined up a glamorous pre-season trip to Celtic in July in what they hope will be a curtain-raiser for both clubs’ Champions League campaigns.
Newcastle are set to confirm the Celtic Park date imminently, along with the South Korean leg of their summer tour of Asia. They will take on Tottenham Hotspur and a representative side in Seoul in early August, following a game against Arsenal at Singapore’s National Stadium on 27 July.
But The i Paper understands there will be no repeat of the controversial post-season trip to Australia which earned Newcastle a six-figure fee last summer but prompted criticism from environmental groups and prompted mixed reactions in a dressing room where several of the players were heading for international tournaments.
Instead Newcastle are mixing a lucrative trip to two emerging markets with competitive games, including their first trip to Parkhead since 1999. The hope is that the Magpies will be warming up for another Champions League campaign, having moved back up to third in the Premier League after a win against 10-man Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Newcastle will once again end their pre-season programme with the now-traditional Sela Cup weekender, featuring back-to-back games against overseas opposition along with a game for the women’s side, who have consolidated in the Championship this season.
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Pre-season has been seen as a key area for Newcastle to capitalise on as they look to hit challenging targets of doubling commercial revenue every two years to remain competitive in the financial fair play era. The Magpies travelled to Japan last year and have tapped into contacts established through their tie-in with Adidas in an attempt to expand their global appeal.
Newcastle know they are playing catch-up on that front, having largely struggled to leverage their brand in the Mike Ashley era. But there is a belief that the club can grow its global fanbase, especially if they become fixtures in European competition.
Insiders believe the games against Arsenal and Tottenham are almost certain to sell out.
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