According to French outlet Media Foot, Newcastle are showing interest in Rennes midfielder Lovro Majer – believing the Croatian playmaker could complement Bruno Guimaraes perfectly.
The 24-year-old plays in a more attacking role than Bruno – he can play as a ‘No 8’ or ‘No 10’ – and has shown some great form both in Ligue 1 and at the World Cup with Croatia.
Majer has been described as the ‘next Luka Modric’ in his homeland, being a great ball carrier who ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in France for progressive carries per90 (8.68), assists per90 (0.39), non-penalty xG and xA per90 (0.49).
His creative skill-set and ability to unlock deep blocks could be hugely important to us, particularly as more and more teams looks to defend a lot deeper when playing at St James’ Park.
Both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are also thought to be keeping tabs on the Croatian, but it remains to be seen whether any club will put in an official bid in this window.
Here’s a few clips of the Rennes midfielder in action:
