Newcastle United transfer round-up: Juventus open to selling Magpies target as Dean Huijsen admission made
The latest Newcastle United rumours from around St James' Park following Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Newcastle United suffered a late collapse to lose 2-1 at home to Arsenal on Sunday, extending their slow start to the new season.
The Magpies have won just one of their opening six Premier League matches, sitting 15th in the table with only six points on the board. Their capitulation against Arsenal may have cast a light on Newcastle’s outstanding weaknesses in light of a difficult summer transfer window, and attention will already be turning to January and identifying winter reinforcements. With that in mind, here are the latest rumours from around St. James’ Park.
Juventus open to selling Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic was linked with numerous Premier League clubs in the summer, one of which was Newcastle, until they eventually chose to sign Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. However, the latter is yet to play for his new club due to injury, and it’s thought that Eddie Howe is still considering bringing in another striker in January.
It’s understood that Newcastle still hold an interest in Vlahovic - who has six goals in nine appearances to his name across all competitions this season - and according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus are looking to sell the Serbian in January before his contract expires next summer.
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The Old Lady brought in Jonathan David and Lois Openda over the summer, and while those two have struggled to adjust and have just one combined goal so far, they are seen as Juve’s long-term No.9 options. Vlahovic’s form has been vital for Juventus at the start of the season, but the feeling is that the club view it as boosting his value rather than offering any sort of long-term solution.
Alongside Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester United have been heavily linked with Vlahovic, while TEAMtalk also say that Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham are keen on the 25-year-old.
Newcastle lining up Kaio Jorge bid
Vlahovic isn’t the only striker appearing on Newcastle’s radar. According to Brazilian outlet Gavea News (via NUFC Blog), the Magpies have joined the race to sign Brazilian forward Kaio Jorge from Cruzeiro. The 23-year-old is enjoying a superb season in his homeland, registering 20 goals and six assists in 35 appearances across all competitions to help Cruzeiro sit second in the Brazilian Serie A - just four points adrift of leaders Flamengo.
Jorge’s form was rewarded with a senior national team debut, with Carlo Ancelotti introducing him from the bench in Brazil’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile at the start of September. It’s understood Newcastle are weighing up a £35million approach for Jorge, who is also on West Ham’s radar.
Dean Huijsen’s father admits Newcastle interest
Newcastle pushed for a big centre-back signing over the summer, but after missing out on Marc Guehi, they eventually settled on Malick Thiaw. But Guehi wasn’t the only big name linked with St. James’ Park, as Newcastle were also thought to be pushing for wonderkid Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, before he eventually made the monumental leap to Real Madrid.
That has now effectively been confirmed, with Huijsen’s father, Donny, revealing Newcastle among a host of ‘big names in European football’ pushing for his son over the summer. “A significant development path was in the offing for Dean, who actually played 32 games with three goals and two assists for the Cherries shirt.” Huijsen senior said (via Sport Witness). “He also played three more FA Cup matches, totalling 2,800 minutes on the pitch. These excellent performances earned him a contract with the most famous and successful club on the planet.
“Many of the big names in European football wanted him (Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United, etc.), but he politely declined every offer, waiting for ‘that’ team to arrive. The team of his dreams, the biggest and most fascinating: Real Madrid.”
Newcastle among sides scouting Real Madrid’s Arda Guler
Sticking with Real Madrid, Arda Guler is another name appearing on the Newcastle radar. The Turkish youngster has even further grown in importance to Los Blancos this season, registering three goals and three assists in seven La Liga appearances - six of which have come from the start.
With that in mind, it’s going to be extremely difficult for anybody to get their hands on the 20-year-old anytime soon, especially with Guler’s contract at the Santiago Bernabeu running until the summer of 2029. Even so, that hasn’t stopped plenty of clubs looking, with Newcastle among those sending scouts to watch Guler’s recent matches according to CaughtOffside, alongside Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
The hope for any interested party will be that Guler’s role in Xabi Alonso’s side is diminished once Jude Bellingham returns to fitness.
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