The January transfer window can’t come soon enough for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United, as injuries threaten to derail their start to the 2023/24 campaign.
An apparent long-term issue now means that the Magpies won’t have Sven Botman to call upon for the foreseeable future, and as Premier Injuries report, he joins the suspended Sandro Tonali and fellow injured team-mates, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Lewis Miley and Alexander Isak on the treatment table.
To that end, it’s easy to understand why Newcastle could be major players in the January window, Financial Fair Play rules notwithstanding.
One player that they’re apparently showing an interest in according to UOL is Santos hit-man, Marcos Leonardo.
The outlet report that he’s scored an incredible 21 goals in 42 games during 2023, and he’d surely become a prized striking addition at St. James’ Park.
A strategy from the north east giants is apparently being undertaken at present, with a view to securing his services from early next year.
Given that his reported transfer fee will be somewhere in the region of €20m/€25m (£17.3m/£21.7m), the player is well within the club’s grasp financially.
The player was strongly linked with Roma last summer but the deal to bring him to Europe on that occasion never materialised.
Newcastle will undoubtedly be hoping that they have more success than the Serie A giant in that regard.