- Newcastle United continue to scout Abde Ezzalzouli
- Magpies heads turned by Real Betis teammate
- La Liga side want £26.3m for ex Man Utd target
Newcastle United have been offered the chance to snap up a La Liga striker once coveted by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim for £26.3 million this summer.
Eddie Howe is under pressure to improve his side’s attacking output before the start of the 2026/27 campaign. Whether that means breathing new life into £125 million duo Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, or cashing in to reinvest remains to be seen.
The Chronicle claim that one player who could be an easy target to bring through the doors at St James’ Park is Real Betis bagsman Cucho Hernandez.
Newcastle United learn £26.3m asking price for Real Betis striker
The Magpies are known to have sent scouts to watch La Liga matches featuring Betis, primarily to track the progress of Abde Ezzalzouli. The 24-year-old winger is being touted as the preferred replacement for Anthony Gordon.
However, in the process of looking at Ezzalzouli, Newcastle are believed to have heads turned by his teammate Hernandez. The 27-year-old Colombian international bagged a brace against Real Oviedo and netted against Elche in May, in front of on-watching Magpies scouts.
The Chronicle claims that Newcastle have been ‘alerted’ to the Betis price tag placed on Hernandez. The Spanish outfit are willing to accept an offer of around £26.3 million for the forward, which is what Manchester United were quoted when Amorim looked to bring the player to Old Trafford.
Spanish outlet Fichajes claimed that Amorim’s Red Devils offered £25 million for the player in December but negotiations never truly got underway with the manager at the start of January.
Hernandez scored 15 goals across all competitions for Real Betis last season, including three strikes in the team’s Europa League campaign, helping them to the quarter finals.
Magpies supporters may be familiar with the player’s name. Hernandez moved from Granada to Watford in 2017. The player spent five years on the books at Vicarage Road.
During that time, he scored five goals in 28 appearances for Watford, with 25 of those outings coming in the Premier League. Hernandez played six minutes in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park in January 2022.
Cucho Hernandez set to star at World Cup for Colombia
Hernandez is set to feature for Colombia in the World Cup this summer. The striker had been left out of squads in November and March, but made the World Cup list – he played 45 minutes in the nation’s 3-1 friendly win over Costa Rica this week.
Speaking about his form and the call-up, the Newcastle target said: “Of course, I want to thank the coach (Néstor Lorenzo) for the opportunity to be here. Like me, obviously, there were many other teammates who had a very good year. Every player who is here deserves it.
“I had a lot of faith, a lot of confidence in myself that I could achieve it. I know I had a good year, aside from the goals, aside from the assists, because I think my growth as a footballer has been increasing, and that’s what I work for. So it’s nice when you see that valued, and well, I’ll keep improving, because that’s what I do every day.”
In other news, David Ornstein’s latest transfer update is a massive blow for Newcastle United.
