Newcastle now in pole position to sign £76m striker who has already turned down Chelsea…
Newcastle United have endured their fair share of frustration in the transfer window thus far.
Eddie Howe was eyeing deals for several attacking players who have ended up signing for Newcastle’s Premier League rivals instead.
The latest is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, who will now be joining Liverpool in a big money move.
Newcastle also wanted to sign Joao Pedro prior to his move to Chelsea, and the list goes on.
Fortunately, Howe has welcomed former Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga to St James’ Park.
And after a run of disappointment on the transfer front, Newcastle might finally be in pole position to win the race for a top striker.
Newcastle are the most likely club to sign Randal Kolo Muani from PSG
According to journalist Duncan Castles who was appearing on ‘The Transfers Podcast’, Newcastle are now at the front of the queue to sign Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain.
Kolo Muani spent last season on loan at Juventus, but the 26-year-old striker has now returned to Paris.
And according to Castles, Newcastle have leapt ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign the France international, who cost PSG £76m back in 2023.
Randal Kolo Muani of Juventus FC poses with the ‘Player of
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand gives his honest verdict on Newcastle signing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest
Castles explained: “Unsurprisingly there’s interest from England because there’s been interest from England in Kolo Muani for years.
“He went to PSG ahead of interest from clubs including Manchester United, what I’m hearing from the French end is that there’s been enquiries from Manchester United about his availability, but I don’t think they are as advanced as they are with other clubs.
“Newcastle United are involved in this conversation and I think at present it looks like they are the most likely destination for Kolo Muani.
“And again, this makes you wonder, what is happening with Isak? Because of his similarities to Isak, I’m not saying that the two couldn’t be paired together, but pairing Ekitike with Isak was a simple process, an easy thing to do, and you would be bringing a player into the club who could be Isak’s successor.
“With Kolo Muani I think it would take a change in Eddie Howe’s tactical set-up to play the two together.”
Randal Kolo Muani wouldn’t come to St James’ Park as Alexander Isak’s backup
As mentioned, if Kolo Muani was to sign for Newcastle, it might be an ominous sign as much as an exciting one.
The Frenchman’s goal record for both Eintracht Frankfurt and Juventus has been seriously impressive, even if he didn’t get the starts he may have hoped for at PSG.
Club Games Goals Goal ratio
Eintracht Frankfurt 50 26 0.52
Paris Saint-Germain 54 11 0.20
Juventus 22 10 0.45
Kolo Muani’s goal record at his last three clubs.
But if Newcastle were to tempt Kolo Muani to St James’ Park, it would surely have to be with a promise of regular starts — he should be a key player for most Premier League sides.
TBR Football recently shared that Kolo Muani turned down a move to Chelsea owing to his preference to sign for Juventus, where he would presumably be the starting striker.
And although Howe has proven that he can be flexible with his tactical approach, he’s rarely ever started with two number nines in the north east.
Therefore, if Newcastle do sign Kolo Muani, it might be because Isak is heading elsewhere.
But as things stand, Isak does appear as if he’ll be a Newcastle player at the end of August.
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