Torino could sell Afriyie Acquah this summer after landing Thomas Rincon from Juventus – and the midfielder has been linked with Newcastle United.
The trail had grown cold in Newcastle United’s reported chase of Torino midfielder Afriyie Acquah.
According to GhanaSoccerNet in May, The Magpies were keen to land the 25-year-old and were willing to pay £8 million for his services. Yet, following a series of conflicting reports discussing a potential summer move to St James’ Park, Acquah is still a Torino player.
For how much longer, however, remains to be seen. Because GhanaSoccerNet is now claiming that the Turin-based side are increasingly open to offers for the talented midfielder after landing energetic enforcer Thomas Rincon (below alongside Acquah) from local rivals Juventus on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Rincon, a Venezuelan international who only joined Juve from Genoa in January, could replace the powerful and hard-working Acquah at the base of Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Torino midfield.
Therefore, this should be all the encouragement Newcastle need to step up their reported interest. Talented Spanish Under-21 international Mikel Merino, a loan signing from Borussia Dortmund, is the only new midfielder to arrive at St James’ Park this summer.
And with the future of Jack Colback up in the air, the Daily Mail claiming he has played his last game for the club after a training ground row with manager Rafael Benitez, another midfield addition would not go amiss.
Acquah, who has previously been likened to Ghanaian legend and former Chelsea favourite Michael Essien, could slot in perfectly at Newcastle, offering a degree of protection to a defence that will come under far greater pressure in the top flight than it did in the Championship last season.
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