Impressive Newcastle raid to give Juve edge in Man Utd, Chelsea transfer battle
Newcastle are a candidate to sign a classy Juventus midfielder in a move that would stiffen their resolve to scupper Manchester United and Chelsea’s transfer plans, per a report.
With Eddie Howe in the managerial hot-seat, Newcastle’s next step will be to appoint a Director of Football. Outgoing Liverpool chief Michael Edwards had been linked, but the Reds’ transfer guru is not destined for the North East.
Instead, former Chelsea director Michael Emenalo is the current favourite to assume the mantle. If installed, he and Howe will quickly turn their attention to what the club’s new-found riches will be spent on in January and beyond.
A plethora of stars from all across Europe have been linked, but players in one specific position are mentioned more than most.
Central midfield appears to be an area the Magpies will invest in, and Italian outlet Tuttosport provide a short update on two targets.
Firstly, they reaffirm former Arsenal and current Juventus midfielder, Aaron Ramsey, is on their radar. Ramsey is deemed a target well within their reach and Juventus are open to moving the Welshman on.
The biggest barrier to other potential suitors is Ramsey’s high wages, though that will not deter Newcastle.
Fellow Juve teammate Adrien Rabiot is also named as a possible target. The 26-year-old Frenchman still features regularly for Max Allegri, though the Serie A giants have their eyes on bigger prizes.
The article notes that if Rabiot were to be sold, Juventus would look to fill the void with one of three targets.
Borussia Dortmund’s Axel Witsel and Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria are cited. But it is Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni that will raise eyebrows.
The French destroyer is already a regular with his national side despite being 21. His combative and all-action displays in the engine room have seen him draw links with both Chelsea and Manchester United. In United’s case, he could be just what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to revamp his much maligned central midfield.
But if Newcastle swoop for either Ramsey or Rabiot in January, Juventus could muscle in on the two English sides’ pursuit of Tchouameni.
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Newcastle target put off by predictable drawback
Meanwhile, A Newcastle transfer target has admitted he would ‘think about’ an offer from the Magpies, but has also blasted their relegation zone woes.
The Magpies sit 19th in the Premier League after picking up just five points from 11 games. Following Norwich’s victory over Brentford at the weekend, Newcastle are now the only team yet to gain a win.
New boss Eddie Howe will have exciting attackers Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson at his disposal. But a creative link between them and the midfield is lacking, signalling the need to sign a playmaker.
Club Brugge ace Hans Vanaken is one option. The Belgium international is on seven goals so far this term, including three in the Champions League. He got on the scoresheet during Brugge’s 5-1 defeat to Manchester City last month.
Vanaken was recently asked about a move to St James’ Park. He said (via Sport Witness): “I still have plenty of challenges for myself here.
“I’m in a team that plays for the trophies and enters the Champions League. That really appeals to me. I will never just exchange this for a team where I may have to play to avoid relegation.”
Despite those damning comments, Vanaken did not rule a transfer out completely. “If such an offer comes on the table, I would have to think about it carefully first. But I am now 29 years old and such amounts are ‘over the top’,” he added.
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