Newcastle United are already making plans for the summer as they continue to monitor the progress of Saint-Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Aston Villa winger Andreas Weimann.

The north east club are still not assured of their survival in the Premier League, but victory over Liverpool this weekend would see them move onto 40 points, a total which is normally enough to guarantee safety.

Andreas Weimann
Andreas Weimann has been one of the stars for Paul Lambert's Aston Villa side this season. [Reuters]

Once they are mathematically safe it seems manager Alan Pardew will attempt to convince the board to further strengthen in the summer, with the Newcastle Chronicle listing Aubameyang and Weimann as two of the top targets.

Pardew has maintained that Newcastle's poor form has been impacted by their exploits in the Europa League and the fact that he has a relatively small squad to choose from.

Despite replacing Demba Ba with Yoan Gouffran in the January transfer window, it seems Pardew still wants more attacking options and has maintained an interest in Aubameyang. Chief scout Graham Carr and owner Mike Ashley recently travelled to France to watch the striker in action and were said to be impressed with the Gabon international.

Reports suggest that Newcastle want to make it clear to the striker that they are keen to offer him a move as there is expected to be plenty of interested parties come the end of the season.

The 23-year-old has continued his excellent form from last season and has scored 19 league games in his 32 appearances this campaign.

Newcastle are also said to be leading the chase for Weimann who is out of contract at the end of the season and is said to be keen on moving to St. James Park.

The Austria international has been one of the shining lights for Aston Villa this season and has earned rave reviews for his performances when playing either on the wing, or as a second striker behind Christian Benteke.

Villa are also in danger of getting relegated as they are just three points clear of the drop zone and have played a game more than Wigan Athletic who could move ahead of Paul Lamberts side on goal difference.

Should Villa suffer relegation then it may well help Newcastle's pursuit of Weimann who would almost certainly be keen to remain in the top flight after a superb breakthrough season.