A general view of Newcastle United supporters waiting outside the stadium for news of the latest developments in the sale of the club to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for 300 million-pound ($408 million) takeover in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England Thursday Oct. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Journalist Ben Jacobs claims that Newcastle United is pressing to finalize the signing of a “brilliant” long-term target valued at £20 million during the summer transfer window.
News about transfers to Newcastle
This summer, the Magpies are being linked to a number of players, with AC Milan center-back Fikayo Tomori standing out as a potential addition to Eddie Howe’s defense. An attempt has been made to reach the Englishman, who is said to be Sven Botman’s ideal partner.
Newcastle is also considering Malick Thiaw, another center defender from Milan, as a potential replacement for Tomori. Federico Gatti, a center-back for Juventus, is another alternative to strengthen the defense, which is obviously seen as a crucial part of the field to add talent. The 26-year-old proved to be a vital member of the Turin giants last season, making 30 starts in Serie A.
Crysencio Summerville, a star player for Leeds United who helped the Whites go to the playoffs last season and was crowned the Championship’s best player, has been linked to a summer move to St James’ Park because of his ability to provide quality in wide positions.
However, given that the England international has developed into a formidable player and is playing for the Three Lions at Euro 2024, Jarrod Bowen of West Ham is thought to be Newcastle’s primary target between now and the start of the next season.
Newcastle pushing to sign “brilliant” goalkeeper
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs claims that Newcastle are trying to sign James Trafford with a larger up front fee, with Burnley wanting £20m after rejecting a £16m bid – which included lots of add-ons – earlier in the summer:
“In terms of priorities for incomings, Newcastle want a goalkeeper, and they’re still working on James Trafford from Burnley. Burnley want £20million for that deal, and Newcastle’s last offer was about £16million – but it was quite add-on heavy.
“So not only would Newcastle have to go up in value, but they would also have to provide more of a guaranteed fee to get that over the line. But they remain optimistic, nonetheless.”
Trafford is arguably the standout goalkeeper for Newcastle to bring in as a long-term replacement for Nick Pope this summer, considering his age and potential. He will be viewed as England’s future No.1, assuming he continues on his current trajectory.
Admittedly, 21-year-old found it tough in the Premier League at times last season, being relegated with Burnley in the process, but he still received plenty of praise for his performances, including from Ian Wright, who said: “He was brilliant, I was delighted for him. Coming into the Burnley side after a £19m move, Vincent Kompany has shown a lot of faith in him and he made some very, very good saves.
“A lot of the Burnley fans weren’t quite sure simply because of [Arijanet] Muric and how well he had done to come up, but he made some fantastic saves. It was great the way he spread himself, it was very Schmeichel-esque, that was a really good save.”
To even be compared to Peter Schmeichel says a huge amount about Trafford’s ability, given the Dane’s status as one of the best ‘keepers of all time, and Newcastle would potentially be signing a top-quality player for the next 10 to 15 years.
