Hirving Lozano has been asked about a potential move to Newcastle United but insists he is “very calm” at Serie A leaders Napoli, speaking to Fox Sports, via TZ Azteca.
Having spent much of early 2020 being linked with a big-money move to St James’ Park, it felt inevitable Lozano’s name would return to the gossip columns following the long-awaited completion of the Toon’s transformative takeover.
In May, AreaNapoli reported Newcastle had held talks with the former PSV Eindhoven winger’s agent, the all-powerful Mino Raiola.
Lozano was enduring a miserable time under sabre-toothed disciplinarian Gennaro Gattuso and it seems a fresh start away from the Stadio San Paolo – just one year after joining in a club-record £34 million deal – would have appealed.
Since then, however, Lozano has been a man reborn, winning over Gattuso before making an impressive start to life under experienced successor Luciano Spalletti – a man who could have been sitting in the St James’ Park dugout if things had worked out differently.
Will Newcastle return for Napoli star Hirving Lozano?
When quizzed about a potential move to St James’ Park next year, Lozano made sure to avoid fanning the flames of speculation.
“Rumours will always come,” he said, batting away the question like a man dogged by transfer talk for much of his career.
“But the truth is I’m very calm. If the time comes (to leave Napoli), it will come. Right now, I’m here at Napoli, focused and I’m going to (perform) in the best way.”
Newcastle may have a lot of money to burn – the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is rumoured to have a fortune of $500 billion – but luring players to a club second-from-bottom in the Premier League may still be easier said than done.
Lozano, after all, is playing regular European football for a side cruising at the Serie A summit. Then again, things are certainly set to change in the north east of England.
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