Newcastle United have reportedly sent scouts to watch Botafogo’s Igor Jesus over the international break as the club search for a long-term replacement for Callum Wilson.
According to TBR Football, Toon officials were in attendance to watch the striker in Brazil’s clash with Venezuela last week, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The 23-year-old started in the World Cup qualifier alongside Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes before being substituted on the 68th minute as the Selecao searched for a second-half winner.
Jesus plays naturally as a striker and is thought to be on the radar of several Premier League clubs, with Chelsea and Arsenal also listed in the report as big fans of the attacker alongside Brighton, Fulham and Brentford.
The former Shabab Al Ahli player has previously been described as being ‘extremely competitive and with a very high work rate’ by the man who helped to discover him, so he could be a perfect fit for an Eddie Howe team as we look to recruit competition for Alexander Isak.
The trouble Newcastle may have is when it comes to his price tag – Botafogo are believed to be asking for around £30m for the striker, which is significantly more than we’ll recoup for a soon-to-be out of contract Wilson and not cheap for a player who’d likely play back up to Isak.
Here’s a few clips of the South American in action:
premier League centre halves are going to love whacking him about..!
Peter Henderson.(Quote)