Arnaut Danjuma could leave La Liga outfit Villarreal this summer and Newcastle United have an advantage over their rival Premier League suitors, the Dutch international’s agent tells Radio Castellon.
It was Eddie Howe, of course, who brought Danjuma to England in the first place, paying nearly £14 million to sign the then-22-year-old from Club Brugge in the summer of 2019.
And while things didn’t really work out for Danjuma in the Premier League – his debut season ending in relegation – the admiration between player and coach still exists to this day.
According to the Daily Mail (5 May, page 73), Howe’s current employers, nouveu-riche Newcastle United have their foot slammed down onto the accelerator heading into the summer transfer window, with Danjuma emerging as a top priority for a club who appear to be in the market for a player capable of replacing the thrilling yet flawed Allan Saint-Maximin.
With 16 goals this term, the Villarreal talisman has scored more goals in less than 12 months at the Estadio de la Ceramica than Saint-Maximin has in three years as a Newcastle player.
Newcastle want Arnaut Danjuma
“There is a 50 per cent chance that Danjuma will leave this summer,” says Danjuma’s agent, Michael Moses.
Tottenham Hotspur sent scouts to watch Danjuma in action during Villarreal’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Liverpool last month (Mail).
Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Reds are big fans of the £60 million-rated forward too. Liverpool reportedly see the Nigeria-born 25-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for Sadio Mane at Anfield.
Moses, however, admits that the presence of a familiar face on the St James’ Park touchline may give Newcastle an advantage over some of the biggest and most storied clubs in the Premier League.
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Tailor-made for the Premier League?
“He’s quick, explosive, technically really good, can beat a player one-v-one. And his finishing has really improved,” former England ace Owen Hargreaves tells BT Sport of a man who scored against Atalanta, Juventus and Bayern Munich as Villarreal reached the Champions League semis for the first time since 2005.
“I think he suits the Premier League. I think he’s got something pretty unique. He can play as a centre-forward but I think he can be a top-class player off the left-hand side.”
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