Newcastle United reportedly view 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Andrey Santos as their priority target for the January transfer window, as they look to continue their policy of cherrypicking the best talent from across the world.
Newcastle United have apparently identified Vasco da Gama youngster Andrey Santos as their top January target to help work around “the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play regulations,” according to Northern Echo reporter Scott Wilson.
The Magpies continue to be linked with Brazilian starlet Santos. The player has been on Newcastle’s radar for over the last 12 months and has been strongly linked with a move to St. James Park since summer, with the Toon hierarchy pushing to sign some of the world’s most promising young players, having recently signed Australian prodigy Garang Kuol, who is in the Socceroos squad for the ongoing World Cup.
Steve Nickson, the club’s head of recruitment, has been actively scouting players from the South American region following their recent success with players from the continent such as Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, and Bruno Guimaraes. Furthermore, Dan Ashworth’s arrival at St James’ Park this season may boost the possibility of Newcastle scouring more South American talent.
Ashworth discovered a number of South American jewels during his time at Brighton, with Ecuador’s World Cup stars Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinian, and Jeremy Sarmiento as a few examples. Newcastle hopes his expertise could help them acquire the right players from that market.
Another reason Newcastle wants to sign Santos is the impact his signing would have on the Magpies’ FFP restrictions. The Premier League’s Financial Fair Play regulations limit the amount of money they can splurge on transfer fees and wages. To address that, the Toon hierarchy have set a clear policy of looking to bring in exciting talent before their prices skyrocket.
Dubbed the “Brazilian Busquets,” Santos is regarded very highly back in his homeland and has been attracting plenty of attention lately. He has been the subject of serious interest from Newcastle, who have had a bid already rejected for the teenager as per some other reports.
However, Newcastle are likely to face competition from Spanish giants Barcelona as well in pursuit of the 18-year-old midfield prodigy. But it seems like the Magpies are continuing to push for his signing, while the Blaugrana’s financial woes mean the Premier League side are the favourites to secure his signature.
The 18-year-old ball-winning defensive midfielder has caught the eye in Serie B this season, averaging roughly around 3.7 tackles and interceptions combined per game and winning a decent 62% of his contested duels across his 33 appearances, as well as chipping in at the top end of the pitch with 8 goals to his name.
Despite his tender years, the midfielder has established himself as the leader of Vasco da Gama and has been a driving force behind their promotion back to the Brazilian top flight. Aggressive, a pressing machine, a snappy tackler, and a powerful progressive midfield runner, the youngster looks like an ideal foil for Eddie Howe’s high-intensity, pressing, and vertical style of play.
The report also adds that the Brazil Under-20 international is valued at over £25 million, but Newcastle would try to come to an agreement on a deal in which a significant portion of any fee would be conditional on future clauses.
