Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Transfer News

Newcastle United plan new transfer record bid to make all Brazilian midfield trio – The Times

2 years ago
Share

It has now been reported that Newcastle United are readying a bid to try and buy Lucas Paqueta.

The Times say that Eddie Howe wants the attacking midfielder and that the Newcastle United owners are fully prepared to back their Head Coach, as he looks to further progress this NUFC team.

To land the Lyon midfielder, The Times say that the Tyneside club’s owners know it will take a new club transfer record to clinch the deal but that they are more than prepared to pay the asking price which is expected to be around £50m.

Newcastle United doubled their (comparative to other Premier League clubs) meagre transfer record when paying £40m for Joelinton in January 2019.

The new NUFC owners then agreeing to go above that when an initial £35m was paid for Bruno Guimaraes in January 2022, a final transfer fee of £41.25m to be eventually paid, with the remaining £6.25m of add-ons largely dependent on whether Newcastle United remained a Premier League club.

If a bid for Lucas Paqueta is successful, it will mean an all Brazilian midfield trio with of course all three of the club’s most expensive signings from Brazil, unless somebody else is signed this summer by Newcastle United for more than £40m…

Difficult not to get VERY excited at the thought of this signing potentially happening.

Even though from one of the more reliable sources (The Times), we are all well aware of how few transfer stories end up with a successful conclusion. Even if there is real substance in their claim that Newcastle are going to be in for Lucas Paqueta and prepared to pay realistic money, you have to accept that there are so many other parts to a deal, including in particular, the player wanting to come and his club prepared to sell.

Lyon aren’t in a great financial state and that played a part in their eventual willingness to sell Bruno G in January. Lyon have now finished eighth in Ligue 1 and so have no European football to look forward to, which is the only route for all French clubs (apart from PSG ) to be able to try and compete financially, due to the very low money that is generated by participation in domestic football in France.

Lucas Paqueta still has three years left on his contract that ends in June 2025 BUT if the player did want to leave AND Lyon could do with the money, then just maybe Newcastle United could be in business.

The ace in the pack of course is Bruno Guimaraes and the fact he is best mates with Lucas Paqueta, having played together at Lyon and for Brazil. In the final group qualifier for the Qatar World Cup finals, Brazil beat Bolivia 4-0 at the end of March and perfect symmetry as Bruno Guimaraes got an assist for Lucas Paqueta, before then the Lyon midfielder returned the compliment.

As things currently stand, Lucas Paqueta has made 31 appearances for the Brazil first team and scored seven goals, whilst Bruno Guimaraes has made six appearances and just that one goal so far.

Both players will be heading out to Qatar in November as part of the Brazil squad and indeed are now set to spend the next couple of weeks together, as Brazil are playing away in South Korea, Japan and Australia (against Argentina).

I can’t imagine what the two best friends might have to talk about…

Only last week, Lucas Paqueta and his partner visited Tyneside to stay with Bruno G and his partner, the quartet looking very happy as they toured the sights of Tyneside and posted photos on social media…

They say a picture can be worth a thousand words and I can easily imagine this photo above being once again taken next month after Lucas Paqueta has signed for Newcastle United.

If no other signings happened this summer, for me, if only this one did become reality then it could prove a massive transfer window of progress.

With Bruno G and Lucas Paqueta both 24 and Joelinton 25, you could / would have a midfield in place that may well help take this club on a seriously upward trajectory. A combination that perfectly complements each other in the midfield, as Lucas Paqueta is a far more attacking player, certainly based on before Bruno G arrived at Newcastle United.

Bruno has managed five goals in eleven starts at Newcastle United, which has been quite amazing considering he only managed three in 71 appearances at Lyon.

Lucas Paqueta on the other hand, in 64 starts (and 10 sub appearances) for Lyon in the league and in Europe, has scored 20 goals and got 12 assists, on average a direct goal contribution (scoring or assisting) in every other start. Sounding exactly the kind of signing Newcastle United could do with.

Arriving from Brazil as a 21 year old in January 2019, AC Milan paid £30m to Flamengo for Lucas Paqueta. However, things didn’t work out so well in Italy and so in September 2020, the midfielder moved for £17m to Lyon.

Since then his form for both Lyon and Brazil has been excellent and there is also the added bonus that Lucas Paqueta, as well as his usual attacking midfielder role, can also play up front if needed, having made half a dozen starts there for Lyon this past season.

We are now only ten weeks away from the new Premier League season kicking off and only five weeks away from Newcastle United starting pre-season with the players back on duty.

No time to lose and in Bruno we trust to be selling Newcastle United to Lucas Paqueta these next couple of weeks, if indeed he still needs convincing…

How great does it feel to be able to dream again? Whether or not this particular signing does or doesn’t come off, to have at least this level of player as a possibility will keep me going in the weeks and months ahead.

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks