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The most desperate Newcastle United transfer ‘Exclusive’ of the summer…so far

5 years ago
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When it comes to Newcastle United transfer ‘exclusives’, there is desperate and then there is DESPERATE.

Anybody with a brain knows that there is no chance of Newcastle buying anybody, until the Rafa Benitez situation is sorted one way or another.

However, Newcastle fans do accept up to a point that the newspapers are still going to be running transfer stories in the meantime.

All we ask is that they don’t embarrass themselves too much.

Friday has brought the most embarrassing Newcastle United transfer ‘exclusive’ since the window opened eight days ago.

Indeed it could be a front runner for the worst of the whole summer.

The desperation for clicks is all too apparent with this one from The Star.

Their headline shouting out ‘Newcastle transfer EXCLUSIVE: Toon and Lazio battling for £16m Brazilian star.’

Not even naming the supposed transfer target in the headline puts you on a warning straight away.

The mystery ‘Brazilian star’ in this instance is Wesley Moraes of Club Brugge.

The really embarrassing thing though is that The Star claim this on Friday as an ‘exclusive’, yet on Monday The Mag (see below) and everybody else ran this exact same story about supposed Lazio and Newcastle interest in the striker.

The headline from The Star :

‘Newcastle transfer EXCLUSIVE: Toon and Lazio battling for £16m Brazilian star.’

‘NEWCASTLE are facing a head-to-head transfer battle with Lazio to land Brazilian forward Wesley Moraes this summer, Starsport understands.

Benitez is keen to bolster his attacking options in the coming months and United are firmly in the hunt to land Club Brugge forward Moraes.’

The Mag – 20 May 2019:

Wesley Moraes is definitely leaving Belgium this summer.

The 22 Brazilian striker ended his season with Brugge on Sunday, a 3-2 home win over Antwerp on Sunday.

He left the pitch in tears and afterwards confirmed it was due to the fact he is leaving the club this summer, saying he has to ‘give it a go’ at a higher level next season.

His three and a half years at Brugge have seen the 6ft 3 forward score 32 league goals in 78 starts (plus 29 appearances off the bench).

This compares to Aleksandar Mitrovic’ record of 36 goals in the Belgian league in 65 starts (plus 4 sub appearances) for Anderlecht before he joined Newcastle as a 20 year old back in 2015.

Lazio have been regularly linked with Wesley Moraes and Corriere dello Sport have given that link more coverage today – but have also quoted the striker’s agent saying that there has been contact this month from Newcastle United and West Ham as well.

Newcastle are reported to have watched the striker (as well as countless others…) this season and he has scored 17 goals (13 in the league) in all competitions and got 10 assists as well.

After Sunday’s game, Wesley Moraes stated ‘I have a preference for the Premier League’ but claimed he doesn’t know yet who he will be signing for.

Another name for the summer signing list…

When asked about his future after the final game of the season on Sunday, a 3-2 home win over Antwerp, Wesley Moraes said:

“I’m really sad to leave (Brugge) and that is why I cried.

“I do not know yet (who I will sign for) but I have a preference for the Premier League, we will see what happens.

“I have to give it a go (at a higher level).

“It has been three years since I arrived (in January 2016) at Brugge (from Slovakian club Trencin).

“It (Brugge) is a great club that has made me grow and progress.

“A club with whom I discovered the Champions League and scored important goals, now I’m going to meet a new challenge.”

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