Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United may now face a huge transfer outlay if they want to sign Flamengo playmaker Matheus Franca.
Newcastle’s priority will hardly be transfers after losing the Carabao Cup final 2-0 to Manchester United.
Yet the reality is that the transfer market is a daily thing even if we’re outside of the window right now.
Dan Ashworth will have a host of targets on his wish list for the summer window and Franca may well have been one of them.
Flamengo have now confirmed that Franca has signed a new deal with the club until December 2027.
It now looks like Franca’s immediate future will be with Flamengo – but Newcastle aren’t exactly finished in this race.
Newcastle United still want Matheus Franca
Fabrizio Romano reports that the release clause in Franca’s new contract is around €200million (£176million).
Flamengo are unlikely to ever receive that kind of cash but it’s a nice deterrent for any clubs plotting moves to sign him.
Romano notes that Newcastle had an offer of around €20million rejected during the January transfer window.
Romano adds that Newcastle plan to keep following Franca ahead of potentially launching a move for him in the future.
Franca, 18, has emerged through the Flamengo ranks and is tipped to follow Vinicius Junior on a path to stardom.
The attacking midfielder has already bagged seven goals in 33 first-team games for Flamengo.
Backed for an enormous future – and one that will take him to Europe one day – Franca appears to be a real focus for Newcastle in the coming months and possibly years.
Staying in Brazil and honing his craft before a move to Europe seems like a sensible idea for Franca but you can be sure that Newcastle will be hovering with intent.
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