According to O Jogo, Newcastle United have been beaten to the signing of Caracas attacker Jeriel De Santis by Boavista.
It’s claimed that De Santis is heading to Portugal to become their latest addition, offering competition behind Yusupha Njie and Jorge Benguche.
The 18-year-old is an Under-17 international with Venezuela, bagging three goals in two games, and has travelled to Portugal having completed a quarantine period.
He still had one year left on his Caracas deal, but Boavista tempted them into selling – because they knew other clubs were keen.
Newcastle allegedly wanted to sign De Santis, whilst Cagliari were keen to take him to Italy this summer.
A giant target man at 6ft 3in tall, De Santis looks to have a bright future, and will look to become a top Venezuelan hitman just like Salomon Rondon has in recent years.
It seems like an odd rumour on the face of it, but Newcastle appear to be doing more and more scouting in South America as they look to unearth some gems.
The Daily Mail claim that Newcastle are set to sign Deportivo Municipal playmaker Rodrigo Vilca for just £250,000, meaning that whilst they have missed out on De Santis, one South American prospect will still be arriving.
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