Newcastle United is looking to make a splash next season and have begun strengthening their squad ahead of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League campaigns. Newcastle finished 4th in the league and are ready to make that final leap and challenge for titles next season.
Eddie Howe’s squad is currently 38 players deep and will be going through various transfers and loans to bring the squad down to size. Still, Newcastle has some targets in mind to bolster their side.
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One of those targets is Barcelona’s winger Raphinha, who has not been able to show the same level of play he showed under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United.
Raphinha to Newcastle?
According to El Nacional, Raphinha would run a cost of 30 million euros to buy. Barcelona needs to sell players to comply with LaLiga’s financial regulations, those same regulations that in theory were a speed bump to sign Lionel Messi.
In the case of Raphinha, the Brazilian played 50 games last season with 10 goals to mixed results. Newcastle is reported to be willing to spend the transfer fee plus Bruno Guimaraes as part of the deal.
Bruno Guimaraes played in 40 games last season and scored 5 goals. The deal to add a player may not be something Barcelona wants since they have to shrink their squad not replace one player with another. Same can be said for Newcastle United.
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Raphinha is being reported as not being all too keen on returning to England, while Barcelona also is looking to offload Franck Kessie, Clément Lenglet, Sergiño Dest, and Ez Abde.