Newcastle United are willing to pay Velez Sarsfield around £12 million to sign teenage midfielder Maximo Perrone from under the noses of Premier League rivals Wolves, according to reporter Cesar Luis Merlo.
Brazil, it seems, is not the only South American market Newcastle are keen to take a closer look at.
Amid the club’s ongoing interest in Samba trio Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel and Equinaldo, Argentina U20 international Maximo Perrone is another name on the radar of a Magpies side looking to invest their new-found wealth in some of the game’s most exciting up-and-coming talent.
Perrone, at the age of just 19, is already one of the first names on the Velez team-sheet. The teenager has played 33 games this season and, as you might expect given his admiration for Barcelona’s World Cup winner Sergio Busquets, he is no stranger to engaging in the darker arts of the beautiful game.
Perrone, as tough tackling and he is technically-gifted, has a remarkable 13 yellow cards to his name this season alone. That all-action style is likely to make him an immediate fans’ favourite at St James’ Park; Merlo claiming that Newcastle are willing to spend an eight-figure sum to secure the services of a player also in the sights of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Newcastle United could beat Wolves to Argentina starlet Maximo Perrone
Perrone has a £9 million release clause in his contract. But Newcastle, Merlo says, could offer up to £12 million in an attempt to ward off rival suitors.
“(Central midfield) is the position that I like the most,” explains the dynamic and diminutive Perrone; labelled a ‘spectacular’ talent by former Velez coach Gabriel Heinze.
“Because (in midfield) the ball passes through me a lot. I can see the pitch in front of me and I can reach the penalty area. I want to cover all the positions in midfield.”
Perrone certainly looks a good fit for a Newcastle midfield high on energy and industry; Joelinton, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and the masterful Bruno Guimaraes playing arguably the best football of their careers under Eddie Howe.
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