Newcastle United are not just making decisions based on the here and now, they’re also clearly looking ahead to the future.
Following their bumper £300m take over last year, the Magpies, led by manager Eddie Howe, are now set for a massive second half of the season as they look to remain in England’s top-flight.
Having turned to the January transfer market in an attempt to bring in some much-needed talent, the Geordies’ new cash-rich hierarchy have already welcomed Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid and Chris Wood from Burnley.
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In addition to both Trippier and Wood, Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes is also on the verge of completing a winter switch to St James’ Park, medical dependant (Sky Sports).
However, according to recent reports, this month has also seen the Northerners target another big name.
That’s according to AS, who claims Newcastle United are big admirers of Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, 25, and even made contact with the Serie A club over a possible transfer.
Despite their eagerness to sign him, it has been noted that Ruiz wants to see out the remainder of the season with Napoli before deciding on what the next step in his career will be.
Clearly viewed as an important player for the club, teammate Dries Mertens recently hailed the Spaniard’s form and admitted his game has matured in recent times.
“Look who we have: Koulibaly, Fabian Ruiz, Lorenzo Insigne and Piotr Zielinski are all in their most mature phase,” Mertens told Corriere dello Sport (as quoted by Sempre Inter). “I’m in love with Di Lorenzo because he works so hard. This is a team that has had to pay a very high price for bad luck.”
The end of the current campaign will see the 25-year-old have just 12-months left on his contract and that is likely to trigger a lot of interest in him.
Although Newcastle United are expected to revisit the possibility of signing the Spanish midfielder in the summer, whether or not they can convince him to join is another thing entirely and will of course hinge on their top-flight status.