Newcastle United reportedly tried to bring Uruguay international Laxalt to the Premier League, months after he moved to Serie A powerhouses AC Milan.
Newcastle United finally signed a left-back on the final day of the January transfer window, bringing Antonio Barreca to Tyneside on loan from Monaco.
But, according to The Chronicle, The Magpies approached four other players before settling on the former Torino flyer. And it seems that one of those was the Uruguayan World Cup star Diego Laxalt.
According to Calciomercato, Newcastle initiated talks with Laxalt’s agent in an attempt to make him leave AC Milan, just a few months after he moved to the San Siro from Genoa for £16 million.
But it appeared that the 26-year-old had no interest in swapping Milan for Tyneside. Despite his lack of starts this season, it is understood that Laxalt wanted to stay and fight for his place and had a good relationship with coach Gennaro Gattuso (Calciomercato).
A penny for Laxalt’s thoughts now, however. Since those links with Newcastle emerged a month ago, he has played just six minutes of football in Serie A, coming off the bench in the closing stages against Roma and Atalanta.
Swiss international Ricardo Rodriguez remains Milan’s go-to left-back and that looks unlikely to change any time soon. So, if it doesn’t go to plan with Barreca, Laxalt might be an option they could consider again in a few months’ time.
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