Newcastle United look set to lose Mikel Merino to Real Sociedad but the Premier League side have allegedly turned their focus to Lille’s Thiago Maia.
Mikel Merino seems certain to be on his way out of Newcastle United.
Less than a year after completing an £8 million permanent switch from Borussia Dortmund, The Chronicle reports that Newcastle are resigned to losing their Spanish U21 play-maker with La Liga side Real Sociedad expected to complete a deal after triggering his £10 million release clause.
Fortunately, however, it seems that Newcastle do at least have a replacement lined up already.
Newcastle have been credited with an interest in Lille’s Brazilian midfielder Thiago Maia and, according to the Chronicle, this shows that the Magpies were preparing for Merino’s seemingly inevitable exit.
Maia, the report adds, is a contingency plan and a like-for-like replacement for the one-time Osasuna prospect.
Le 10 Sport stated at the start of this month that Newcastle made a bid for the 21-year-old Rio Olympics gold medallist but Lille turned that down. The Chronicle points out that the former Ligue 1 champions are likely to sell however, due to financial difficulties, but would want to recoup the £11 million they paid Santos for Maia a year ago.
And in terms of style and potential sell-on value, Maia does seem to be exactly the sort of player to step into Merino’s shoes.
A defensively-minded midfielder who can also play at left-back, an area of Newcastle’s squad which has been weak for some time, Maia is renowned for his intelligent passing and ability to read the game.
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