Newcastle United obtained their season underway with victory over newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on Saturday, though regardless of that constructive begin there seems work nonetheless to be carried out within the switch market, with attacking additions a selected precedence.
Sky Sports activities reporter Keith Downie has just lately steered that the Magpies will make two additional signings this summer season – having already wrapped up three main offers – with a centre-forward and a winger stated to be on the playing cards.
One man who might properly fill a type of roles is Atalanta striker, Luis Muriel, with stories in Italy suggesting that talks have been deliberate concerning a transfer for the 31-year-old, albeit with the northeast aspect set to face competitors from Serie A giants, Juventus.
Having beforehand been linked with a transfer for the Colombian’s present teammate Duvan Zapata again in January, the Tynesiders now seem to have set their sights on one other of Bergamo’s best, with the previous Sevilla man doubtlessly set to value within the area of simply €15m (£12.6m), with only a yr remaining on his present deal.
That will signify one thing of a discount for a participant who has been in glowing kind in Italy in current occasions, with the “prolific” gem, as dubbed by Nico Cantor, having netted 55 objectives and supplied 22 assists in 128 video games for his present aspect.
That haul features a tally of 9 objectives and eight assists in 27 league video games from the 2021/22 marketing campaign for Gian Piero Gasperini’s aspect, with the £55k-per-week marksman additionally additional showcasing his inventive aptitude by averaging 2.2 key passes per sport – a document much better than that of Newcastle’s present ahead choices, Callum Wilson (0.6) and Chris Wooden (0.6).
A harmful attacking risk as each a supplier and a goal-getter, the 5 foot 10 sensation would clearly supply an actual high quality addition to Eddie Howe’s squad, whereas supporters could be hoping he can emulate the affect of compatriot and former St James’ Park hero, Faustino Asprilla, who additionally traded life in Italy for the Premier League again in 1996.
Dubbed ‘the octopus’ by his teammates as a consequence of his unpredictability with the ball at his ft, the now-retired gem made an prompt affect in English soccer, registering a high quality help off the bench on debut towards Middlesbrough, regardless of having solely landed within the nation that very same day.
That will set the tone for what can be a quick, but explosive stint on Tyneside for the larger-than-life determine, with the dynamic ahead shortly cementing his standing as one thing of a cult hero among the many membership’s help.
The 58-cap gem’s best second undoubtedly got here within the Champions League again in September 1997, with the electrical hotshot netting a blistering hat-trick to sentence the good Barcelona to a 3-2 defeat and additional rubberstamp his legendary standing within the course of.
Whereas he would solely web 9 objectives in 48 Premier League video games for the membership earlier than returning to Italy after just below two years with the Magpies, Asprilla stays a determine etched into membership folklore, with few having endeared themselves fairly so shortly to the Newcastle help.
The hope might be that Muriel can hit the bottom operating simply as shortly as his fellow Colombian did over 25 years in the past, with Howe and co little doubt in want of an added spark of their ahead line.
