Two top strikers tipped for Newcastle United moves at bargain fees in January

Newcastle United were just seconds away from an historic European double over French champions Paris Saint-Germain before their dreams were killed by a highly contentious VAR penalty decision which led to Kylian Mbappe’s 98th minute equaliser.

The Magpies were defiant at the back throughout the game in a testing fixture which left Newcastle with very little options from the subs bench due to a mountain of injury problems. Eddie Howe failed to make a single substitution throughout the game at the Parc des Princes as Alexander Isak grabbed his side’s goal on just his second appearance since returning from a month long injury.

Isak linked up well with Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron throughout the first half, but the trio’s attacking influence waned in the second half of a game where Howe ideally would have liked to turn to his bench.The Magpies manager is reportedly keen to add further squad depth to his team to enable a smoother rotation process in attack. With that in mind Shields Gazette rounds up the latest transfer stories from St James’ Park.

Bundesliga star tipped to make move to England in the near future 

VFB Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy has caught the eye of a number of big European clubs in recent months due to his devastating goalscoring form in the Bundesliga.

The North East giants have reportedly been monitoring the attacker for a number of months as they aim to bolster their frontline which currently features just two strikers in Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.

It’s clear to see why Guirassy has caught the attention of the Newcastle scouts as he boasts an exceptional record of 15 goals from 10 appearances in the Bundesliga despite playing for one of the team’s that was tipped to struggle after their last-gasp survival in the Bundesliga relegation play-off last season.

Guirassy was the hero in the play-off with a goal and an assist in that match, adding to his 11 goals from 22 league appearances last season.

The Guinean forward has exploded into life this season to guide his team to a surprising third place after 12 games.

Reports from the Newcastle Chronicle claim the player could come as cheap as £15m in January due to a release clause in his contract and further reports from Calciomercato claim the player has no interest in moving to Saudi Arabia, despite links.

Guirassy’s preferred destination is Europe and he is the subject of interest from two Champions League clubs in Atletico Madrid and Newcastle, while reports from De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij reveal that he had previously turned down a move to Ajax in the summer.

Verweij went on to tip the player for a move to the Premier League and explained: “That boy did not want to take a step to the Eredivisie. He had set his sights on the Premier League, and he will probably make that step.”

Newcastle and Real Madrid at front of the queue for young Brazilian star

Serhou Guirassy is not the only striker on Newcastle’s radar as speculation intensifies over a move for Marcos Leonardo.

The 20-year-old is one of the most coveted young strikers in Brazilian football. He holds a record of 35 goals in 96 league appearances for Santos and boasts excellent statistics for the Brazil U20 team with 15 goals from 13 appearances.

Reports from Goal suggest he is likely to be sold in the summer so that he can achieve his dream of playing in Europe and he is believed to be available for a fee of around £17m.

These claims are backed up by Brazilian outlet Lance who claim that Newcastle and Real Madrid are the leading contenders to secure the player’s signature.

Real Madrid are in the market for a long term striker to fill the boots of Karim Benzema despite the signing of ex-Magpie Joselu in attack.

The Spanish giants are also eagerly anticipating the arrival of Endrick and could look to form a long-term strike partnership between the young Brazilians if a move for Leonardo was to occur.

While Newcastle need further options in attack to compete with both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson - particularly given the pairs injury record in recent seasons.