Newcastle ‘willing’ to pay over £50m for ‘really special’ attacker in January

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Newcastle United are reportedly ‘willing to offer’ in excess of £52 million to bring Juventus winger Federico Chiesa to the Premier League during the January transfer window. 

Now, you’ll forgive us if we are not exactly getting carried away. 

Are Newcastle United really planning to sign another winger? This is, after all, a club who already have Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy at their disposal and in the form of their lives under Eddie Howe, while Harvey Barnes should also be back available from injury in the New Year. 

Tino Livramento, Newcastle’s most eye-catching performer in Dortmund on Tuesday, has also proven himself capable of thriving further forward in attack. 

Newcastle United linked with Federico Chiesa

So how much belief can we place in claims, from TuttoJuve, suggesting that a big bid is on the way for Federico Chiesa in January? Newcastle, the report says, are ‘willing to offer more than 60 million euros’ for a player also on the radar of Arsenal and Chelsea. 

This, then, feels like a classic case of ‘wait and see’. We certainly have our doubts. If Newcastle have 60 million euros to spend, we’d hazard a guess that an investment is more likely to be made on a right-sided centre-half – the agent of Genoa defender Radu Dragusin has already confirmed negotiations over a potential switch to St James’ Park – or a midfielder to initially take the place of a a suspended Sandro Tonali. 

Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners is a reported £50 million target. And Newcastle’s interest in Atalanta’s stylish Dutch international is likely to increase amid suggestions that a move for Al-Hilal playmaker Ruben Neves could be tied up in red-tape. 

Juventus star an ‘unbelievable’ talent

Cheisa, Italy’s star man during that European Championship-winning campaign in 2021, appears to be hurtling back towards his barnstorming best after a long spell on the sidelines through injury.

“In the European Championships, he was unbelievable,” former Juve team-mate Gianluigi Buffon once of Chiesa. “In the final match with England, it was impossible to stop him. If you do those things at such a high level, then it means that you are really special.”