Newcastle have already shown a willingness to look at players from La Liga, and their signing of Alexander Isak has turned out spectacularly well for all concerned.
Indeed, players from the Spanish top-flight have generally fared well when playing in the Premier League, and so it’s perhaps with that knowledge that the Magpies along with Aston Villa and West Ham are looking at acquiring a high-quality six foot defender who is out of contract at Atletico Madrid this summer.
Moreover, it would appear that 28-year-old Mario Hermoso has little interest at this stage of renewing his arrangement with the club. That’s certainly the impression that his agent has given at any rate.
Newcastle chasing Mario Hermoso
“He is a player who is doing very well and who has grown a lot in these five years in Madrid. Now he is finishing his contract with Atletico Madrid,” Inaki Espizua said to CN24TV.
“It’s not a given that he will go and play elsewhere. But, when you sign a contract, there must be a common project. And, at the moment, we are far from a renewal with Atletico Madrid.
“Mario wants to play in a major league. He doesn’t want to discard any options He wants to play for important goals. We will evaluate any project that may come for the next few years, this is the player’s aspiration.”
Of course, the three Premier League clubs are a long way from concluding a deal at this point, but all the while Hermoso doesn’t put pen to paper with the Rojiblancos, it opens up the opportunity for other clubs to be able to tempt the player into trying a new experiences.
The Magpies are certainly a team going places, and though some big names were reticent to go there in the early stages of Eddie Howe’s tenure, now St. James’ Park is a viable destination for players looking for the next step in their careers.
Villa have a slight advantage in that they have a Spaniard in the dugout, and one that has proven time and again that he has what it takes to galvanise a group of individuals into a excellent squad of players.
West Ham are arguably the outsiders of the trio. Though it’s clear that they need a physical presence at the back, no player worth their salt is going to sign for a club if they’re unsure of who will be in charge of the project moving forward.
