Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Chelsea 'eyeing' seven-goal striker as £15m option set to be activated
The latest transfer talk from Newcastle United as the Magpies prepare for the January transfer window.
Newcastle United are keen to bolster their forward ranks over the coming months - and their desire to sign a striker has been further heightened by the hamstring injury suffered by Callum Wilson.
The former Bournemouth and Coventry City frontman has been limited to just four substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season after missing the first three months of the campaign with a back injury he suffered during the summer break. However, Wilson is now expected to be on the sidelines until the middle of February and that has left Alexander Isak as Eddie Howe’s only natural striker for the next two months. Anthony Gordon has featured in the lead role in attacking during the opening months of the season - but the Magpies hierarchy are believed to be intent on bringing in at least one striker during the upcoming transfer window.
United have been linked with a number of frontmen in recent weeks and have reportedly shown an interest in Lille and Canada star Jonathan David, Hertha Berlin youngster Ibrahim Maza and Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani. However, another recent link has resurfaced in recent days after Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg named the Magpies as one of three Premier League clubs ‘keeping an eye on’ Nurnberg striker Stefanos Tzimas. The Greece Under-21 international is currently on a season-long loan at the Bundesliga 2 club but is expected to make a permanent switch over the coming months after scoring seven goals and providing two assists in just 14 appearances so far this season.
However, Plettenberg has claimed Nurnberg’s plan is to activate the £15m option in their loan agreement with Tzimas’ parent club PAOK Salonika before selling him on this summer at a profit of between £2.5m and £4m.
He posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are keeping an eye on Stefanos Tzimas! Nürnberg are currently planning to activate the €18m buy option with the intention of selling him directly in summer. Talks are ongoing, with the club aiming for a net profit of €3-5 million from the sale. Stuttgart are also interested, but the price is deemed too high. The 18-year-old striker is regarded as one of the brightest forward talents in Greece.”