Steve Bruce makes 'specific request' to sign Romanian starlet as Newcastle United flop opens up on 'frustrating' spell

Thursday brought the devastating news of Callum Wilson’s eight-week injury layoff while Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo are also set for a similar spell on the sidelines.

But among the doom and gloom, there was a bit of transfer gossip surrounding the Magpies ahead of the summer.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Magpies are “pushing hard” to sign Juventus defender Radu Dragusin.

The 19-year-old is on course to become a free agent at the end of the campaign, however they have “every intention” of keeping the Romanian.

That will, however, seemingly come down to guarantees over his playing time given he’s made just four senior appearances this term.

Should he call time on his Juve career, United are said to be a “concrete option” for Dragusin, who is also attracting interest from RB Leipzig and Atalanta.

Head coach Steve Bruce has made a “specific request” to sign the defender with Federico Fernandez and Schar out-of-contract this summer – though it is understood United have a one-year option on the latter.

Although Dragusin is learning his trade at a top European and carries bags of potential, if Bruce is to lose two of senior defenders, you’d suspect he’d look towards experience first.

Meanwhile, Former Newcastle flop Siem de Jong has opened up about his injuries problems on Tyneside.

The Dutchman was signed from Ajax in 2014 but was restricted to just 26 appearances in three years.

“In my years at Ajax there was never a problem,” he told Voetbal Primeur. “I didn’t have to think about anything, because I could count on my body and knew that in principle I would play every game.

“That changed after my transfer to Newcastle United. Those injuries have affected me a lot. time and energy and had a significant impact on my career.

“It all started with a collapsed lung. From there it went downhill with regard to injuries and I never got the rhythm that I was used to from my first period at Ajax.

“I’ve had everything examined, but nothing tangible has ever emerged.

"The funny thing is that I have always kept feeling good physically, I never had the idea that there was really something wrong with me. That also made it frustrating.”

Here’s a round-up of the latest gossip doing the rounds across the Premier League: