Newcastle United 'very close' to signing 18-year-old star from Spain as development plan outlined

Several reports in the last few weeks have pointed towards Newcastle United beating the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to the signature of Antonio Cordero from Malaga.

The 18-year-old has been catching the eye of several big clubs with his mature performances for La Liga 2 side Malaga this season and while Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have both courted the youngster, a move to Newcastle seems to be Cordero's preferred destination.

Antonio Cordero only turned 18 in November, and with his contract at Malaga due to expire in the summer, he's free to sign a pre-contract agreement with Newcastle to make his move as soon as his current deal lapses.

Beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to a young Spanish star has to be seen as a coup for Newcastle who have so often lost out on signing young players with huge potential to rival Premier League clubs, some of which you'd expect wouldn't be competition for the Magpies at this point.

Craig Hope has delivered a promising update on Antonio Cordero

Craig Hope has posted an update on X today that says a deal is close after Cordero and his family visited Tyneside.

"Antonio Cordero to Newcastle is now very close to being signed off. Family have been on Tyneside. He will be loaned out next season after arriving on free transfer from Malaga."

The fact that Hope is aware that Cordero will be loaned out next season does suggest a high confidence that a deal can, or maybe even has been reached.

Cordero sounds like the type of player Eddie Howe loves

Primarily a left winger, Cordero is just as comfortable through the middle or on the right, making him a perfect Eddie Howe recruit. His four goals and six assists in 27 outings this season suggest that there's still plenty for the youngster to work on, but if we compare those numbers to those of Lewis Miley, and how good we feel he is, it shows that the numbers don't always paint the full picture.

The fact that a loan is already being lined up shows that he's not being brought in for the first-team, but to join the legion of talented youngsters that Newcastle are putting together.

We're excited about Cordero and obviously, hope he can live up to the hype.