It has been an eventful morning for Newcastle United fans. We had reported last night that the club were closing in on a move to sign Ajax midfielder Sean Steur and it has now received the ‘here we go’ from Fabrizio Romano. The Magpies are not going to stop there though.
They need to strengthen significantly in the middle of the park this summer. Sandro Tonali has left for Tottenham Hotspur. There are question marks over the future of Bruno Guimaraes as well as reports have suggested he has grown frustrated with the direction of the club. And Joe Willock is also expected to leave.
So, the arrival of an 18-year-old Steur is not going to be enough to solve Newcastle United’s problems. They need to bring in more quality.
It looks like that is exactly what they are planning to do. And at this point in time, they look like the favourites in the race for a £50 million-rated midfielder.
Newcastle United leading race to sign £50 million-rated midfielder
According to a report from David Ornstein on The Athletic, Newcastle United are set to open talks with SC Freiburg in the coming days as they step up their pursuit of Johan Manzambi.
Manzambi was already being tracked by leading clubs even before his standout World Cup campaign and as things stand, Newcastle United are in the strongest position to close a deal. The Swiss international is keen on the opportunity.
The Manzambi rumours had been doing the rounds for a while. Many fans had started wondering though whether signing Steur will end up having an impact on the club’s pursuit of the Swiss midfielder.
It looks like that won’t be the case. Talks are still planned and it looks like Manzambi is receptive to the opportunity as well. Let’s see if an agreement can be reached.
Why signing Steur shouldn’t affect Manzambi move
Even though both are midfielders, Manzambi and Steur are not similar profiles. So, signing one should not impact the move for another to begin with.
Steur is someone who is seen as a steady presence in the middle of the park. He is very good with his passing and solid when it comes to the defensive side of things as well. The Ajax youngster can play as a 6 or an 8.
On the other hand, Manzambi’s qualities shine while going forward. In two starts for Switzerland at the ongoing World Cup, he has scored three goals and provided two assists.
Of course, based on his displays on the World Cup, other top clubs are expected to try their luck as well. One can only hope that Newcastle United are able to get a deal done in time.
