Newcastle United are reportedly plotting a potential raid on Juventus for their star duo of Federico Chiesa and Matthijs de Ligt.
According to Tuttosport, the recent acquisition of Newcastle United by a Saudi-led consortium is likely to hurt Juventus. The Magpies are planning a shopping trip to Juventus, with two talented players on their wanted list.
Newcastle’s new owners are reported to be able to spend up to €250 million on transfers over the next windows based on the club’s untapped balance sheet, which will be enough to take the European transfer market by storm. They are targeting a host of Serie A stars, including Aaron Ramsey from Juventus.
While no one in Turin will bat an eyelid on the Welshman’s departure but as per the latest news, the Magpies are also eyeing moves for Matthijs de Ligt and Federico Chiesa, two key players in Max Allegri’s starting XI.
One of the areas on the pitch that Magpies can address in the coming window’s is strengthening their weak defence. They have conceded the joint-highest number of goals in the Premier League alongside Norwich, and at this rate, there’s no one stopping them from relegation.
Their central defence needs sorting out. While they have been linked to Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly in recent days, de Ligt offers a much more promising alternative. Still only 22, the Ajax academy product is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world and has established himself in the Bianconeri backline with his leadership and ball-playing skillset.
There are a lot of English club’s interested in the Dutchman whose contract at Allianz Stadium expires in June 2024 and boasts a €150m release clause valid from next summer. While the Dutch international represents an expensive option, he would be an astronomical improvement on the Toons’ current roster while he can still develop into the world’s best defender in the coming years.
Juventus ace Chiesa is another name on the Magpies radar. The Fiorentina academy product starred for Italy at the Euro 2020 and has progressed rapidly to become one of the best young attackers in Europe. This has piqued interest from the top clubs across the continent, and although the Turin-based club put a Not-for-sale board on their 23-year-old jewel’s head, they could be tempted to accept an irresistible big-money offer.
The Italian international is more of a traditional and direct winger, using his bursts of pace and acceleration to release a shot at the right moment. A goal-scoring winger is what Newcastle lacks, and the prospect of Allan Saint-Maximin and Federico Chiesa on either wing would wreak havoc among opposition defences, certainly a rosy dream for Toon fans.
The Magpies are now technically the richest club in Europe and are believed to be in the market for ‘world-class talents’ as suggested by their CEO Amanda Staveley. With their enormous spending power, they can offer monstrous wages to players to lure them to St. James’ Park. With Newcastle languishing in bottom-three, these rumours come to fascination. Only time will tell whether these hold any truth or not.
