Newcastle United face a real battle for Inter Milan’s Valentino Lazaro.
Newcastle United continue to pursue Inter Milan wing back Valentino Lazaro – but recent development may leave them a little concerned.
Lazaro’s agent visited Newcastle and watched them beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday evening, leaving many to feel that a deal for the Austrian was in the pipeline.
However, reports from German newspaper Bild suggested that RB Leipzig have now made contact in an attempt to hijack the move, viewing the 23-year-old – who joined Inter for £20million over the summer – as an alternative target to Benjamin Henrichs.
On Monday night, Lazaro’s agent Max Hagmayr was quoted by The Chronicle as saying that there is no agreement with Newcastle yet, and ‘other options’ are on the table too.
“I was in Newcastle and we had talks, but there is no agreement yet,” said Hagmayr. “As for the future, we’ll see what happens over the next few days. There isn’t just Newcastle, he has other options,” he added.
Now, Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio reports that RB Leipzig sporting director Markus Krosche held a meeting with agent Hagmayr on Monday, even posting a photo of the pair speaking as the German side accelerate their pursuit.
Leipzig will know Lazaro well, as he spent five years in the first team of sister side Red Bull Salzburg, and he’s already excelled in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin.
Inter already have a replacement lined up in Victor Moses, but it seems that Hagmayr is shopping his client around in order to find the best deal.
Newcastle will be praying their move doesn’t get hijacked, but Leipzig appear to be ramping up their efforts, and the coming days could be pivotal.
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