Independiente may be forced to cash in on Newcastle United target Alan Velasco, with El Intransigente reporting that the forward’s sale would go some way to solving the club’s financial problems.
Independiente’s loss would be Steve Bruce’s gain, of course.
Argentina youth star Velasco is one of the hottest talents emerging out of the Land of Ice and Fire, with clubs across Europe mulling over a January bid.
Newcastle are long-time admirers and, back in June, FootMercato reported that they had few qualms about trigger the £21 million release clause in the contract of an unproven youngster.
Six months on, it seems that little has changed with Velasco getting some much-needed first-team experience under his belt.
Furthermore, with Independiente under pressure to raise around £25 million to ease their financial problems, the club’s bosses know that selling Velasco may be something of a necessary evil.
His departure, at this stage, appears to be a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
“Hopefully we can have him with us for a while longer,” said Independiente coach Lucas Pusineri, more in hope than expectation perhaps.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is not exactly renowned for splashing the cash. But he has shown a willingness to invest big sums in exciting young talent with sizeable re-sale potential, from Allan Saint-Maximin to Miguel Almiron.
Interestingly, Velasco has been compared to another one-time Independiente youngster – the most prolific foreign goalscorer in Premier League history.
“God willing, Velasco is going to be the next (Sergio) Kun Aguero,” Vice president Pablo Moyano told Soy Del Rojo.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
