Newcastle United will reportedly need to pay £60 million to sign Moises Caicedo from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
According to a report from Daily Telegraph, Eddie Howe is looking to improve his midfield options. And the Newcastle United manager has identified the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo as a potential target. The report further states that Brighton value the player at around £60 million. So Newcastle will have to fork out a premium in order to sign the player.
The Ecuadorian midfielder is on the radar of Premier League giants Chelsea as well. The 21-year-old midfielder is highly rated in the Premier League and has established himself as a key player for Brighton since joining the club. He has the potential to develop into a top-class midfielder. And a move to Newcastle could be the ideal step up in his career.
The Magpies have put together an ambitious squad, and they will be hoping to challenge for the major trophies in the coming seasons. Newcastle are currently third in the Premier League table and have managed to reach the quarter-finals of the carabao cup. Newcastle will be hoping to secure Champions League qualification and win a domestic trophy by the end of the season.
Bringing in someone like Caicedo could prove to be a smart acquisition. And the Ecuador international would certainly help them improve in the middle of the park. But it is unclear if Newcastle will be open to shelling out £60 million to sign the youngster.
Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been sidelined with an injury, and Howe will have to replace him adequately. The 21-year-old Brighton midfielder is well-settled in the Premier League and could make an immediate impact if he joins Newcastle during the second half of the season.
However, Brighton will not want to weaken their squad midway through the campaign. And it remains to be seen whether they decide to hold out until the summer transfer window. But recent reports have suggested that Newcastle lead the race to sign Caicedo.
Meanwhile, the report adds that Newcastle are keeping tabs on the Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans as well. It could be easier for them to sign the Belgian international as compared to Caicedo. The 25-year-old will be out of contract in the summer, and Leicester will be under pressure to cash in on him next month.
Newcastle have improved their squad significantly since their takeover, and they certainly have the financial resources to pay the reported £60 million asking price for Caicedo. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next few weeks.
