There are a lot of positions where Newcastle United need to strengthen this summer. The midfield has been weakened by the departures of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. The forward line was never strong to begin with.
Amid all this, one cannot overlook the need to add some quality in depth when it comes to the club’s full-back positions, where the Magpies appear to be paper-thin at this point in time.
It looks like an international left-back is on the radar of the Magpies right now. But they will face heavy competition in the race to sign him.
Newcastle United interested in Ecuadorian international left-back
According to a report from Ekrem Konur, Newcastle United are monitoring Genk left-back Yaimar Medina. They are not the only ones though.
Medina is on the radar of some of the world’s top football clubs. That includes Chelsea, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Ajax, which are also tracking him.
So, if Newcastle United are able to sign Medica, it would have to be considered a coup for the Magpies. Can they pull it off ahead of such illustrious competition, having struggled to convince players to move to St James’ Park in recent times?
A lot might depend on the kind of transfer fee Genk want as well. We have constantly witnessed those figures rise in recent times, even outside of the top-five leagues.
Who is Yaimar Media?
Medina came through the youth ranks at Independiente del Valle. For those with a knowledge of Ecuadorian football, that is the least surprising thing. Most of the country’s top talents emerge through that youth system, and it should be counted amongst the best in the world at this point.
Medina has already made seven appearances for the Ecuador national team. And he made the move to Europe in 2025, as he joined Belgian side Genk.
Medina has so far made 44 appearances for Genk, scoring once and assisting three times. That has been enough to catch the interest of Europe’s top teams though. A move to a top-five league feels like only a matter of time.
When you look at purely the data, there are no areas of Medina’s game that immediately jump off the page. He is decent with the ball his feet, with tidy passing. The Ecuadorian also gets his shots away at a decent rate for a left-back.
But other than that, there is nothing exceptional happening. At least it does not show up on the data. He is not putting up extraordinary numbers defensively or breaking records with his dribbling or output. So, it is intriguing that so many clubs have been left impressed with Medina.
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