First signing of summer for Newcastle nears as Roma allow midfielder price to tumble
Newcastle are seemingly very well placed to complete their first signing of the summer after Roma reportedly very keen to move midfielder Jordan Veretout on.
The Magpies were the Premier League’s most-active club during the January transfer window. And with five new faces arriving, it appears to have done the trick with the once-relegation threatened Tynesiders going on a great run of form. Indeed, they are surely closing in on guaranteed safety and another season of Premier League football.
However, rather than continue to be relegation fodder, Newcastle – under their cash-rich Saudi Arabian regime – now hope to push towards the upper echelons of the Premier League.
In order to achieve their goal, the Magpies are reportedly chasing a number of big names. To that end, exciting Napoli duo Fabio Ruiz and Victor Osimhen are reportedly on their shopping list. Deals for the pair would set Newcastle back to the tune of well over £100m.
However, the first signing of the summer for Newcastle may well be a much more modest affair.
As such, Eddie Howe is reportedly keen on a deal for Roma midfielder Veretout.
The 29-year-old Frenchman knows the Premier League well from a previous spell at Aston Villa. And while he struggled to make an impact at Villa Park, a move to Fiorentina in 2017 saw his career truly take off.
It was during his time in Florence that Veretout earmarked himself as one of the Italian game’s best midfielders.
Those performances earned him a high-profile move to Roma, with France recognition following in 2021. The player has since won five caps for Les Bleus.
However, despite making 34 appearances this season, there is a general feeling in Italy that Roma want him gone.
That’s the message coming through from il Corriere della Sera who claims the player can leave for a cut-price fee. Indeed, they state Veretout is on the market for just £15.05m, a fee which is not open for negotiation.
Jordan Veretout signing would be shrewd move for Newcastle
The Italian paper believes that fee will be of no issue to Newcastle, who will likely meet Roma’s asking price.
And with Mourinho seemingly deciding that Veretout has no future at Roma, that is a deal that would make plenty of sense.
Veretout has four goals and seven assists for Roma this season, not a bad record for a midfielder.
Howe certainly wants to add more depth and quality to his squad – and Veretout would not be a bad signing.
Granted, he’s perhaps not a player who can take a side into the top reaches of the Premier League.
However, these are early days in the Newcastle rebuild and Veretourt would certainly give Howe that depth he requires.
Furthermore, at just £15m he represents something of a low-risk investment for Newcastle at this stage.
Granted, he might not be a regular starter, but he would surely provide an upgrade in quality compared to some of the options currently at Howe’s disposal.
READ MORE: Newcastle warned by expert that major summer target wouldn’t displace current starter
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