Your Newcastle United transfer round-up for Saturday, December 17.
Maddison wants Europe
Italian reports claim James Maddison would join Newcastle if Champions League football is secured. As it stands, the Magpies have a four-point cushion over fifth-placed Manchester United.
Talk of the Champions League was a pipe dream for even the most optimistic supporters at the start of the season. However, Eddie Howe has Tyneside believing again.
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Reporter Gianluca Di Marzio suggests playing in Europe’s elite competition would tip the balance and convince Maddison to join Newcastle. Two bids for the Leicester City midfielder were rejected in the summer.
Moroccan star linked
Newcastle and Liverpool have joined the race to sign World Cup sensation Sofyan Amrabat, according to the Daily Mail. A combative, no-nonsense midfielder, the 26-year-old was one of Morocco’s standout players on their road to the semi-final.
Every World Cup allows players to put themselves in the shop window and Amrabat has done exactly that. The report claims Fiorentina could demand as much as £50million for the enforcer.
Inflated transfer fees on the back of an unprecedented winter tournament is an issue Toon chiefs must be wary of next month.
Highly-rated German on radar
The Daily Mail also lists Newcastle among a host of Premier League clubs in the race to sign Youssoufa Moukoko. At 18, the German is making waves in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.
Moukoko featured for his country at the World Cup and is the latest talent to emerge from the Dortmund production line. In recent years, Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland were given the chance to flourish in Germany at a young age.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool were the other clubs reportedly showing interest. Signing Moukoko would be a bold statement and outline Newcastle’s ambition for long-term success.
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