The summer transfer window has just opened but Newcastle United have already been handed plenty of bad news. Firstly, it had looked like they had agreed a deal to sign Victor Munoz. But he will join Liverpool instead after the Reds swooped in late to sign him right under the Magpies’ noses.
Munoz is not the only player that Newcastle United are set to miss out on either. It looks like another one of their reported transfer targets is going to be joining one of their Premier League rivals.
Earlier this month, reports broke that Newcastle United were interested in signing Marco Palestra from Atalanta. But that move is no longer on the cards for them.
Newcastle United miss out on another transfer target
According to Fabrizio Romano, Marco Palestra to Chelsea is ‘here we go’ There is a verbal agreement in place between all parties. Atalanta are set to receive a transfer package over €55 million plus a sell-on clause. The player will get a long-term deal.
It is not hard to see why someone like Palestra would have drawn the interest of Newcastle United. He is coming off one of the best individual seasons that any defender has ever had in Italian football.
Now, that is a big claim to make. But I feel that Palestra achieved things last season that not many, if anybody before him, might have done.
Newcastle miss out on Serie A’s Best Defender
Palestra was named the Serie A defender of the season. That is a rare feat for a wing-back to begin with. Past winners have largely been centre-backs like Kalidou Koulibaly, Bremer, Cristian Romero, Alessandro Bastoni, and others.
That is not the end of the story though. Palestra won the award in pretty much his first full season at the senior level. In the past, he had made appearances here and there but never been a regular starter.
And the most impressive thing might be the fact that he achieved this while being away on loan at Cagliari. That is a club that would have been content to avoid relegation.
Also, if you overlook the teams that were relegated, then only one team in Serie A conceded more goals than Cagliari. Yet, Palestra impressed enough to be named the best defender in the competition. That says a lot about how well he did.
Someone like Palestra could have been an excellent addition to this Newcastle team. And I have a feeling that Xabi Alonso might know exactly how to get the best out of him at Chelsea.
