Newcastle United are reportedly set to miss out on the signing of Alan Virginius, who is leaning towards a move to LOSC Lille this summer.
According to L’Equipe, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle United have been dealt a blow in pursuit of Sochaux striker Alan Virginius as the teenager has decided to join Ligue 1 giants LOSC Lille in the ongoing transfer window.
Newcastle United are on the hunt for a new centre-forward this summer and have already dealt a setback in pursuit of a young French striker, with Hugo Ekitike snubbing them in favour of a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Since then, Eddie Howe’s side have been scouring the market for an alternative and have been linked with a host of names.
While recent reports indicate that they are pushing to sign SL Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos, Newcastle United have also had their sights set on Alan Virginius for some time now.
Virginius spent the majority of his youth career at the academy of Paris FC before securing a move to Sochaux in the summer of 2018. After spending time with the club’s youth teams, the 19-year-old made his first-team debut for the French second division side in 2020 and has since been a regular in the side.
So far, Virginius has made 50 appearances for Sochaux, scoring eight goals and setting up four more. While those are not impressive numbers, the 19-year-old has made an impression with his raw potential and all-round abilities. But what attracted clubs to him was his performance in the European Under-19 Championships this past summer.
Virginius finished the tournament with three goals and three assists from four games as France made it to the semi-finals. Following this, Newcastle entered the race to sign him from Sochaux, who are happy to part ways with the 19-year-old for a fee of around €10 million.
While the fee would be no issue for cash-rich Newcastle, as per the report, Virginius has decided that he does not want to leave France just yet and will thus be moving to LOSC Lille instead. The Ligue 1 giants will begin negotiations with Sochaux to complete the transfer, with Newcastle handed yet another blow in their search for a new striker.
It will be interesting to see who Newcastle United decide to go after, with several options being considered at St James’ Park at the moment.