Newcastle United will be busy signing UCL reinforcements this summer, with RB Leipzig midfield duo Dominik Szoboszlai and Amadou Haidara now ‘key targets’ for the club.
According to Dean Jones (via GIVEMESPORT), Newcastle United have identified RB Leipzig midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Amadou Haidara as potential top transfer targets this summer. Szoboszlai has been touted as a Newcastle move in recent weeks. But the Magpies are also ready to revive their interest in Haidara after previously missing out on the highly-rated defensive midfielder.
Jones said to GMS, “These two players are ones that I’ve had highlighted to me as key targets. They do fit profiles of positions that are looking at so they would make a lot of sense.
“The challenge is to bring in players of a certain level and that is to get in people that are like Bruno, like Botman, like Isak. And that’s where they’ve got to continue to make steps. I think Szoboszlai and Haidara do fit that bill.”
The Magpies are only one point away from securing a place in next season’s Champions League. Eddie Howe’s side have been superb this term and are way ahead of schedule in terms of the long-term project set by the new owners, having been taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in October 2021.
After two decades of exile, Newcastle could finally return to the pinnacle of European competition. They were fighting against relegation from the Premier League when Howe was appointed 18 months ago. The transformation has been extraordinary, and the summer transfer window is going to be incredibly exciting.
With a return to the Champions League on the cusp, Newcastle will need to invest in their playing squad, with a new creative midfielder thought to be high on Eddie Howe’s checklist given the recent links to Leicester City’s James Maddison.
Dominik Szoboszlai has also been linked with a move to St. James’ Park recently and definitely fits the bill for what Howe is reportedly looking for, though a more defensive-minded midfield enforcer is also believed to be a priority position. And this is where the dynamic Hungarian midfielder’s Leipzig teammate, Amadou Haidara, comes into the equation.
As a deep-lying, all-action midfield enforcer, the 25-year-old has earned plenty of admirers on Tyneside, and across Europe, after becoming a key man at the Red Bull Arena. Newcastle tried to land the Mali international last summer. But Leipzig made it clear they had no intention of selling while the player was not angling for a move.
With Champions League football potentially on offer at Tyneside, Newcastle will hope they can negotiate a deal quickly. Haidara is an energetic, box-to-box midfielder. He loves a tackle and has strong defensive qualities. But he can be an incredibly well-rounded midfielder who can adapt well to the specific role he is given.
The ball-winning midfielder could support Newcastle’s frantic press from midfield, retrieve possession, and progress it effectively, suiting Howe’s style of play. Haidara’s contract at Leipzig expires in 2025. What now remains to be seen is whether Newcastle will step up their interest in the 25-year-old midfield dynamo.
