An update has emerged on Newcastle United target Hakan Calhanoglu and his availability heading into the January transfer window…
What’s the talk?
According to Calciomercatoweb, Inter are open to cashing in on the Turkish international in the winter market and would be willing to sell him for a fee in the region of €30m (£26m).
The report claims that he is attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and that the Serie A giants would find it difficult to keep hold of him if the right offers came in, which is why he could be on his way out of Italy at the start of 2023.
Newcastle had been mentioned as one of the teams keen on signing the former Milan magician during the summer window and they could now have the opportunity to snap him up in a few months.
Imagine him & Bruno Guimaraes
Magpies boss Eddie Howe could form an outstanding pairing in central midfield by signing Calhanoglu to play alongside Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes.
Should Newcastle sign Calhanoglu?
The current Toon gem is a box-to-box midfielder who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch. In the Premier League this season, he has made 4.3 tackles and interceptions and created 1.3 chances per match whilst averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.13.
He joined the club from Lyon in January and enjoyed a stellar start to his career in England as he scored five goals in 17 matches and averaged a score of 7.25 – the second-best rating within the Toon squad behind Kieran Trippier.
Calhanoglu, meanwhile, is one of the best midfielders in Europe at creating chances and can be the magic touch on the ball, whilst Guimaraes offers a balance alongside him.
In Europe’s top five leagues and European competition over the last 365 days, the Inter wizard ranks in the 99th percentile among players in his position for assists, xG assisted, and shot-creating actions per 90. This means that he is creating high-quality chances on a regular basis and is one of the top playmakers on the continent on current form.
His former Milan manager Stefano Pioli once dubbed the £154k-per-week wizard as being “exceptional” and his chance creation stats back that claim up.
The Turkish international also offers a threat in front of goal as he has scored eight times in the Serie A since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, alongside his 13 assists.
Now, just imagine Guimaraes’ tenacity coupled with Calhanoglu’s immense ability on the ball and what that pairing could look like in the second half of the Premier League season.
Newcastle would have the defensive nous and goalscoring potential of the Brazilian alongside the vision and ingenuity of the current Inter star in the middle of the park and that could help to devastate opposition teams, by winning the ball back and then making things happen in possession.
