AS Monaco defender Vanderson is attracting interest from top clubs like Barcelona and Newcastle United with his impressive performances.
According to a report from Spanish publication SPORT (h/t Sport Witness), Premier League side Newcastle United and Catalan giants Barcelona are keen on signing 21-year-old Brazilian full-back Vanderson from Monaco next summer.
Vanderson joined AS Monaco from Gremio last season, and he has been outstanding for them so far. His performances have caught the attention of Barcelona and Newcastle United. It will be interesting to see where he ends up eventually.
The report adds that Barcelona were keen on signing the talented young full-back this past summer, but their sporting director Mateu Alemany was quoted a fee of around €60 million. The Catalan giants continue to follow the player and are likely to make a move at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United are keen on securing the Brazilian defender’s services as well, and they have already started laying the groundwork for a potential move.
Newcastle are the richest club in the world following their takeover last year, and they can certainly compete financially with Barcelona. The Magpies demonstrated their ambition in the transfer market when they signed Alexander Isak. However, they are not quite at the level of of prestige of Barcelona as a club or a team yet.
Barcelona will be able to offer Vanderson a massive platform to showcase his talent and regular UEFA Champions League football. It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can convince the 21-year-old to choose their ambitious project instead.
Newcastle have certainly shown improvement since the takeover, but they are a few years away from challenging a club like Barcelona for the major trophies. Meanwhile, Vanderson will have to be careful about his next move.
He is still a young player in need of regular game time to continue his development. The 21-year-old needs to join a club where he will get the opportunity to develop and express himself on a weekly basis.
Newcastle United can certainly provide him with that platform, especially with Kieran Trippier on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile, Barcelona are missing a specialist right-sided full-back as well for the long haul, with Hector Bellerin arriving on a one-year deal. The Spanish club might be able to offer him first-team assurances as well.
It is fair to assume that Barcelona will be a more tempting option for Vanderson given the affinity South American players have when it comes to joining the top Spanish clubs. It remains to be seen how the situation unfolds over the next few months now.