It will be very interesting to see how Newcastle United go about strengthening their midfield this summer. It had looked like they had gotten their man. A deal had been agreed with SC Freiburg for the signing of Johan Manzambi.
Manzambi was the breakout star for Switzerland at the World Cup. And he could have been an excellent signing for Newcastle United. Unfortunately, he did not have a move to St James’ Park on his mind and wanted to join Aston Villa instead.
That left Newcastle United back on square one. They have seen one of their best midfielders leave in Sandro Tonali. Bruno Guimaraes continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal as well.
On the other hand, they have signed 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax. He is a talented youngster. But more help is needed, and the Magpies have looked towards the Bundesliga again. Unfortunately, Man Utd seem to be right on their heels.
Newcastle United start talks over Swedish midfielder
According to FootballTransfers, Man Utd and Newcastle United have both held talks with representatives of Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson.
Eintracht Frankfurt, on the other hand, are believed to be looking for a transfer fee in the region of €50 million in order to sign the Swedish midfielder.
It remains to be seen if Newcastle United are willing to pay that sort of fee to sign the 22-year-old midfielder, Let’s not forget, he was not even included in Sweden’s World Cup squad this time around.
He has drawn comparisons with Declan Rice though. So, it is not hard to see why clubs like Man Utd and Newcastle have taken note, and might be looking to make a move early before he starts delivering on his promise.
Manchester United interest is a problem for Newcastle
At the end of the day, that €50 million transfer fee would represent a big risk for any club that ends up signing Larsson this summer. In fact, it is very likely that Eintracht Frankfurt might end up having to agree a lower figure. That is, if they want to make a move happen. In case they are happier keeping the player, it will be a different discussion.
Then again, the interest from Manchester United does make things very difficult. At the very least, it drives up the transfer fee by quite a bit.
Also, we all know about Newcastle United’s recent struggles when it comes to seeing other clubs swoop in and sign their targets right under their nose.
One would imagine they have other transfer targets as well. Incidentally, one of them is believed to be Ederson, whose move to Manchester United feel apart in the final steps.
