With the summer transfer window not far away from closing, Newcastle United will know that they need to move swiftly to get a few deals done in time. But as the clock ticks down, it will become tougher and more expensive to pull off.
One of the areas where Newcastle United should look to improve is their forward line. A versatile player who can play both as a number 9 and on the wings might be ideal.
Fortunately, it looks like such a player is on Newcastle United’s radar at the moment. The bad news is that Arsenal want to sign him as well.
Arsenal eyeing Newcastle United target
According to Mark Brus, Arsenal have established dialogue with Matias Fernandez-Pardo’s entourage. The club are long-term admirers of the Lille player, who is pushing to leave. Newcastle United are also in the mix.
Obviously, that makes things a lot tougher for Newcastle United. They have already struggled to convince players to join this summer, with no Europe football. And it has proven almost impossible to compete with others.
Johan Manzambi chose Aston Villa. Victor Munoz decided to join Liverpool. Could Fernandez-Pardo end up at Arsenal after being linked with Newcastle United for so long?
Newcastle United have already lost their club captain, Bruno Guimaraes, to Arsenal this summer. Could they end up missing out on one of their top targets because of Mikel Arteta’s side as well?
Newcastle failing to find Fernandez-Pardo agreement allows Arsenal to enter race
Newcastle United have struggled to find an agreement with Lille so far. It is believed that they have even put in an offer in the region of €60 million.
But Lille are thought to be holding out for around €70 million. That gap is not huge. Yet, no agreement has been found. And the dragging on of the saga has allowed Arsenal to enter the race in the last few days of the window.
If Newcastle United do end up missing out on Fernandez-Pardo, it will be interesting to see what the backup plan is. There are not too many other forwards they have been linked with recently.
On the other hand, Nick Woltemade continues to be linked with a move away from St James’ Park. He was not given a start against Tottenham Hotspur.
Understandably so as well, as he was disappointing against West Bromwich Albion in midweek, a game many would have viewed as a good chance for him to score a few goals and make an impression on Matthias Jaissle.
