Newcastle United’s hopes of signing Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha could be dented with Watford planning a cunning move.
Newcastle’s interest in Strakosha
You’d be better off listing players who haven’t been linked with Newcastle since their takeover in October.
Strakosha is one of the names in the mix, with The Sun reporting in November that Newcastle hope to get the Albanian signed up.
Newcastle were eyeing a pre-contract agreement or even a cut-price January deal in order to get Strakosha in.
Strakosha has only played three league games this season with Lazio seemingly preparing for his departure.
Whether a goalkeeper is really what Newcastle need is another matter. They already have Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman, so Strakosha seems a strange priority for Newcastle.
Watford plot cheeky swap deal
Newcastle’s hopes have now been dented though, because Premier League rivals Watford are also keen.
Sport Mediaset report that Watford want to sign Strakosha and are prepared to tempt Lazio.
They want to bring Strakosha to Vicarage Road whilst sending Udinese wing back Jens Stryger Larsen to Lazio.
Giampaolo Pozzo owns both Watford and Udinese, meaning he can put this deal together.
That’s a major concern for Newcastle, as missing out on a target would be bad enough in their battle against the drop.
Yet seeing Strakosha join another relegation-threatens club? That would really sting for Newcastle, with Pozzo’s Udinese links potentially a problem for the Magpies.
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