Newcastle United have been given the green light to bolster their attack by signing a new striker in the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
According to The Sun, the Magpies have been offered the chance – alongside West Ham and Everton – to sign Andrea Belotti ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
The report claims that his representatives are attempting to land him a transfer to the Premier League and the Toon are one of the teams that he is willing to sign for.
He left Italian side Torino at the end of last season and is now available on a free transfer, although his wage demands are unclear at this stage.
Eddie Howe’s own Victor Osimhen
Another striker Newcastle have been linked with this summer has been Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen but his reported price tag of £80m+ has not drawn a serious attempt from the Magpies to land him.
In Belotti, PIF can bring in a player who has the quality to be Howe’s own version of the Nigerian international centre-forward. Both players are proven goalscorers in the Serie A who could arrive at St. James’ Park and have a big impact at the top end of the pitch.
FBRef names Osimhen as a similar player to the former Torino man and they certainly have one thing in common – they like to score goals.
The Napoli number nine has scored 28 goals in 68 matches for the club and found the back of the net 15 times in 23 outings for his country. He has shown that he knows how to score goals at the top level and would be a sublime addition to Howe’s squad.
Belotti, on the other hand, has proven himself over the course of a number of years. The 28-year-old ended his Torino career with 113 goals in 251 matches in all competitions and has scored over 100 goals in the Serie A, which proves that he is a reliable goalscorer.
In 12 seasons as a professional, the attacker – who Siavoush Fallahi once dubbed a “machine“, has reached double figures for goals in nine league campaigns. He has been consistent throughout his career and this suggests that he would be an excellent option at the top end of the pitch for Newcastle.
Therefore, he can be Howe’s own – older – version of Osimhen and join the club for the 2022/23 campaign to ease the goalscoring burden on Callum Wilson in the Premier League.
AND in other news, Romano: Newcastle given green light for “sensational” £21m signing, it’d be a big coup…
