Newcastle United 'make contact' to sign 21y/o with £17m release clause after Leeds United swoop
Eddie Howe has made his intention to replace Sean Longstaff at Newcastle United clear, cue the midfielder transfer links.
Newcastle sold Longstaff to Leeds United last week in a deal worth up to £15million.
It sees The Magpies lose an experienced Premier League squad player and a ‘club-trained’ player as far as their Champions League squad is concerned.
Newcastle’s midfield is fiercely competitive with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, Eddie Howe’s preferred midfield three.
But Howe wants to bolster his squad and midfield options this summer.
When asked about replacing Longstaff, Howe said: “Yes, of course. I think whenever you lose a player, it leaves a big hole in the squad.
“So, whoever comes in has to tick those boxes as well. As I say, they're on short supply, and when they are there, other clubs want to keep them. We continue going right to the very end.”
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Newcastle United target midfield addition
One player said to be highly admired by the club is Coventry City midfielder Jack Rudoni.
The Mail Online claim the 24-year-old is on a list of potential midfield options for the club this summer. The report adds that Rudoni is viewed as ‘the best player outside the Premier League’ in England.
The midfielder scored 10 goals in 50 appearances for Coventry last season following his arrival from Huddersfield Town last summer. Rudoni has also been targeted by Leeds, though Longstaff’s at Elland Road could change that.
African media link Mali international to NUFC
A new name that has been linked with Newcastle this week is Royal Antwerp midfielder Mahamadou Doumbia.
The 21-year-old has a release clause of just over £17million and made 34 appearances for the Belgian club last season, registering three goals and two assists.
According to Africafoot, Newcastle are ‘very interested’ in the two-time Mali international who has also been linked with the likes of Everton, Brighton and Juventus.
The report adds that Newcastle have ‘made contact’ with Doumbia’s representatives with a view to a possible transfer.
While the naming of several clubs also interested in the midfielder only serves to drum up interest and talk around an otherwise relatively unknown player and therefore must be taken with a pinch of salt, it does signify the type of transfer Newcastle should be looking at.
The Magpies have been linked with several big money moves for established Premier League players this summer and have so far only been able to secure one in Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest. The club have missed out on Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Dean Huijsen, Marc Guehi, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha recently, as well as striker Hugo Ekitike, a player who the club have targeted since 2022.
There is a general consensus among supporters and former sporting director Paul Mitchell that the club need to be less obvious and more creative with their transfer business. The reality is, while higher risk, there is often far better value to be found on the continent.
Newcastle have already had real success in the foreign market with the signings of Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali. Even Kieran Trippier was signed from abroad.
The Magpies have looked at the Italian market in pursuit of a centre-back, with Giorgio Scalvini strongly linked from Atalanta.
With less than four weeks before the start of the season, Howe is hoping to have a few more players through the door in time for the opening game at Aston Villa.