Newcastle United are interested in Porto winger Luis Diaz and are plotting an €80 million January swoop to make him their first statement signing under new ownership.
According to Sport TV, Newcastle United’s new owners are ready to stump an €80 million bid for Porto winger Luis Diaz, the buy-out clause instilled in the player’s contract, as they look to overhaul their team in January. Following the contentious acquisition of Newcastle United by the Saudi-backed consortium, the club plans to spend significantly on new players to kickstart a revolution.
Many big names have been bandied around, but they are currently embroiled in a relegation fight and are yet to win so far this campaign. There’s a lot of work to be done to get them contending at the top half of the league. The club has parted ways with beleaguered manager Steve Bruce and the process for a new managerial appointment is underway.
Newcastle hierarchy are preparing to bring in influential players to set the tone for a turnaround and have identified Porto’s silky Colombian winger Luis Diaz as one of the primary transfer targets.
After spending his formative years in the local Colombian leagues, Diaz drew the attention of Portuguese scouts and subsequently got his break with FC Porto, arriving at the Estadio do Dragao back in 2019. He has since established himself as a key member of Sergio Conceicao’s side and contributed with at least 17 goal involvements across all competitions in each of his two seasons with the club.
He’s a very consistent in the European competitions but was ultimately brought to the limelight owing to his hugely impressive displays in this summer’s Copa America, where he ended as the joint highest goal-scorer, scoring four goals for the Colombian national team. He started the ongoing campaign in a similar fashion and has already netted seven goals so far this season starring in the Champions League recently.
This has attracted wide interest from a host of clubs across the continent, including Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton. Newcastle United, following their newfound riches, are the latest to join the slew of clubs interested in the player’s signature.
The Newcastle squad is well-stocked with decent wingers in Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy. Even Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser have been deployed as wingers earlier in his career, but none of the above-mentioned names have produced the output expected of a goal-scoring winger, which makes them over-reliant on an injury-prone Callum Wilson in front of the net.
Luis Diaz could represent to be just that presence. The Colombian winger has a direct style of play and possesses the maverick ability to take players on and glide past them. He is a very decent ball-carrier utilizing his pace and physical strength to hold possession, and importantly, he is incredibly versatile and can comfortably slot into any role on the left-hand side.
He has that unpredictability and natural ability to get people off their seats, which will be a huge hit at St James’ Park, but with him tied until 2024 at Porto, they are likely to demand a massive bid for their asset. Only time will tell whether Newcastle do trigger the 24-year-old’s release clause come this January or is just another speculation without any base.
