Huge striker price drop as Newcastle chief ‘holds talks’ with club over quality capture
Newcastle official Steven Nickson has held talks with a European club over the signing of a top-quality striker, according to reports.
Eddie Howe is still figuring out his favourite attacking pairing, although it looks set to be Callum Wilson and Joelinton. That puts the exciting Allan Saint-Maximin out on the left, while Ryan Fraser or Miguel Almiron tend to operate on the right.
Newcastle have vast financial power thanks to their £305m takeover. That could see them target a higher calibre of player in the new year, and in turn improving Howe’s options.
Their pursuit of Barcelona duo Philippe Coutinho and Marc-Andre ter Stegen has gone nowhere, while transfer target Aaron Ramsey is edging towards Everton.
But one star who remains firmly on their radar is Benfica’s Darwin Nunez. The centre-forward is on 11 goals from 18 appearances for the Portuguese side this campaign.
That record is even more impressive considering he is still only 22, which means Nunez has plenty of time to get even better.
Chelsea, Man City and West Ham are all keeping tabs on the ace, but Newcastle believe they can pip their English rivals to his signature.
Sport Witness, citing reports in the Portuguese press, claim Magpies scout Nickson has been in contact with Benfica over Nunez. He has spoken with former AC Milan star Rui Costa, now Benfica’s president, over the potential for a deal to be struck.
Costa will consider selling Nunez for €50m (£42.7m). That is a huge price drop for the Uruguay international as reports from Sunday claim he will only leave for €120m (£102.5m).
Benfica want to keep their star player around for the remainder of the campaign. That means a January switch to Newcastle is off, but a summer transfer remains on the cards.
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Newcastle need to build on first win – Howe
Newcastle’s first win of the season came against Burnley last time out. Howe’s side have the chance to reach 13 points in the Premier League when they travel to Leicester on Sunday.
At the pre-match press conference, Howe said: “You need to win games to justify everything. Your way of playing, what you do, how you train.
“Talking about positives is one thing but having the evidence to back it up is another.
“Everyone was well aware we needed the win, and now we have it. Now we have to try and build on it and we’ve got to try and create some positive momentum.
“The supporters are going to be key to that, home and away. It can really make the difference.”
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