At a glance:
- Newcastle eyeing up move for highly rated Inter Milan forward
- Interest comes amid Woltemade and Wissa’s struggles throughout the season
- Deal difficult with Inter already rejecting bids of up to £42m
Newcastle United are reportedly interested in highly-rated Inter Milan forward Francesco Pio Esposito as they look to find a solution to this season’s striker woes, per The Daily Mail.
The Magpies’ interest has arisen in tandem with the struggles of summer signings Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. Neither of them has established themselves as the number one option, with Anthony Gordon now favoured to lead the line by manager Eddie Howe.
The Serie A side rejected bids of around £42m (per GOAL) in the summer window and had planned to give the young Italian a new deal. But, with interest from around Europe still rife, a sale could be on the cards in the coming months.
Who is Francesco Pio Esposito?
Esposito is an interesting option for Howe’s side, yet he is rather inexperienced on the senior stage. The Italian is currently in just his third season playing first-team football.
The young forward gained experience on loan to Spezia when he was just 17 years old. He played all 38 games in Serie B and scored three goals.
This loan was then extended, meaning he wouldn’t return to Inter until the end of the 24/25 season. It was a decision that proved pivotal to his development, with Esposito scoring an impressive 19 goals in 39 Serie B games.
This season, the Italian has seen chances in Inter’s first team, managing a very respectable total of eight goals and six assists in 40 appearances so far.
| Esposito’s club career | Goal contributions |
|---|---|
| Spezia (23/24) – 39 games | 3 goals, 0 assists |
| Spezia (24/25) – 40 games | 19 goals, 3 assists |
| Inter Milan (25/26) – 40 games | 8 goals, six assists |
A difficult deal
Any deal would likely be far from straightforward. Inter see the academy graduate as a crucial part of their project over the next decade.
The Nerazzurri have been plotting a brand spanking new deal for the 20-year-old. Having fended off some keen interest from Europe’s elite in recent windows, they are seemingly very reluctant to lose such a prized asset.
Newcastle may offer a regular first-team starting spot. That largely depends on the fate of their two current underperformers. But Howe’s side does employ a system which suits Esposito’s strengths in pressing, defensive output and his creative abilities when involved in fast transitional breaks.
Woltemade and Wissa not cutting it
A staggering £115m was splurged on the shiny new pair of forwards in the summer, in the wake of Alexander Isak’s departure to Liverpool. But Woltemade and Wissa have both faced major struggles on Tyneside, as Alan Shearer recently highlighted.
A knee injury has hindered Wissa, keeping him out for much of the first half of the season. Since then, the Congolese attacker has struggled to get any sort of regular minutes. He has looked rather sluggish and unfit when given opportunities, failing to find form.
For Woltemade, the story is very different. The big German initially hit the ground running, scoring five goals in his first eight games across all competitions. Since then, though, he has seen that form almost entirely dissipate. Howe has even moved him back into midfield, such are his problems when leading the line.
This has seen Gordon move from the left side to cover for the shortcomings. The World Cup hopeful has spent a large portion of the season playing through the middle.
William Osula has even been preferred to both of the big-money arrivals in recent weeks, further emphasising the problems at the top end of the pitch.
All of this means that Woltemade and Wissa, respectively, have been linked with moves away from the club. This could leave space for a restructuring, with an ambitious rebuild reportedly planned for the Magpies, with Esposito at its centre.
