Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Mexican youngster Santiago Munoz and are closing in on an agreement for the 19-year-old.
According to the reports in Record Mexico, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle United are close to completing the acquisition of Santiago Munoz from Santos Laguna. The Magpies are believed to possess a long-standing interest in the youngster and have been monitoring him for a while now.
Newcastle had already submitted a proposal in the past, but it appears that their original offer was insufficient for Santos to approve the sale. This has prompted the Magpies to improve their bid to sign the promising talent. As per the above report, claims that a full agreement has been reached are wide of the mark, but the player may be soon announced as the new member of the Toon Academy with negotiations in advanced stages.
The rumour is making the headline owing to the similarity between the youngsters’ name ‘Santiago Munoz’ and the fictional Goal movie character ‘Santiago Munez’, who came through the backyards of Mexico to become a cult hero figure at Newcastle.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Munoz has had a similar rise to prominence, scoring three goals and registered three assists in Liga MX last campaign. The 19-year-old forward has also played for Mexico at age-group levels and was impressive by netting eight goals in just 16 appearances for the Mexico U17 team.
Given his age and insufficient top-level experience, he’s going to join the U23 squad, which was decimated by the recent departures of attackers Elias Sorensen and Yannick Toure.
Newcastle’s Academy needs more additions similar to this as they severely lack youngsters coming through their ranks, and the infrastructure, facilities are far behind when compared to other clubs such as Aston Villa.
Munoz will not be the first summer addition to the U-23’s. The Magpies have already recruited fresh talents in Charlie Wiggett, Cameron Ferguson and Remi Savage earlier in the window.
Munoz’s contract at Estadio Corona expires in 2022, and he has opted not to extend the deal, which would have preserved his value to the club. It has paved the way for the Magpies to wrap up the deal, with the move likely to be announced soon.
The Tyneside outfit has already confirmed the arrival of Joe Willock in a permanent deal recently, adding some much-needed quality in the middle of the park. Now it remains to be seen whether Steve Bruce’s men can land further targets during the remainder of the month.
