Newcastle United’s interest in adding Boca Juniors midfielder Alan Varela to Eddie Howe’s squad at St. James’ Park “sounds plausible”, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.
The Magpies are looking to strengthen their squad in a bid to bring Champions League football to Tyneside next season.
Newcastle transfer news – Alan Varela
According to D Sports Radio, Newcastle have made a bid of around £16m for the services of Varela this month, with the midfielder having a release clause worth £17.7m
The 21-year-old has also attracted interest from Barcelona, with head coach Xavi seeing the talent as a long-term replacement to Sergio Busquets as per Sport.
It is not yet known what role Argentina under-20 international would have at St. James’ Park if he was to sign on the dotted line for the Magpies, but there’s a good chance he would follow the same pathway as fellow teenager Garang Kuol, who is set to be loaned to Scottish Premiership side Hearts, by leaving the club temporarily in a bid to get a taste of regular European football elsewhere.
Jones has previously told GiveMeSport that Newcastle were interested in bringing Andrey Santos (now of Chelsea) and Máximo Perrone (set to sign for Manchester City) to St. James’ Park from Vasco da Gama and Velez respectively, suggesting that the club are delving into the South American market.
And this is something the journalist has backed up in his latest comments, though he does believe that £16m is a steep price for Varela this month.
What has Jones said about Newcastle and Varela?
Jones told GiveMeSport: “The South American market is definitely one that they like and given that, Alan Varela sounds plausible. But then again, we’re talking about £16m on a 21-year-old so I’m a little sceptical about that aspect of it.”
How has Varela performed during his career so far?
The holding midfielder played 42 games in Boca Juniors’ most recent campaign, hitting the back of the net once and providing two assists according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that his strengths don’t necessarily lie in his goal output.
The 5 foot 9 engine ranks fairly favourably in comparison to his positional peers across the men’s next eight competitions, ranking in the top 12% of midfielders for pass completion rate per 90 minutes (87%) and top 23% for clearances per 90 (1.50) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, it seems that Newcastle would be taking a gamble into the unknown if they were to part with £16m or above the young Argentine midfielder, but it could prove to be a masterstroke if Varela develops into one of the world’s leading players in his position.
Source: Give Me Sport
