The Athletic have revealed that Newcastle, while admiring the talents of Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta, are currently focused on improving other areas of the pitch, suggesting the attacking midfielder is not a priority.
The 24-year-old has excelled in his number 10 role since joining the French club, but Eddie Howe “is expected to prioritise a striker and a wide forward” this summer.
One bonus of signing the Brazilian is his relationship with international teammate Bruno Guimaraes and the positive impact it would have on his happiness both on and off the pitch, with the pair spotted on Tyneside together last week in a visit that got fans talking.
However, the club won’t base their transfer business off that alone, especially when said player is believed to be valued in excess of £50m.
It also looks likely that we will focus on finding a new goalkeeper ahead of the creative midfielder, as a ball-playing alternative to Martin Dubravka could be pursued, with Man United’s Dean Henderson heavily linked.
Back to Paqueta, this is not to say that we won’t go back in for the Brazil international, but with a suggested budget of around £60-£100m, it is unlikely there will be enough left over after addressing other issues in the team.
They should push to sign him. Can’t really have too many high level Brazilians in the team and a few Brazilians might attract a few more Brazilians in future windows.
WilyWonka(Quote)