A lot of reports have been coming out of Newcastle United being very active in Portugal looking at potential summer transfers.
At this point, it almost feels like the Magpies have been linked with every top player in Sporting's squad as another name has now emerged as a target for Eddie Howe via HITC.
Morten Hjulmand is the latest Sporting player to garner Newcastle's attention after links resurfaced regarding Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio.
Newcastle aren't alone in their Portuguese interest with 20 clubs said to have had scouts in attendance watching Sporting take on Benfica.
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder scored in the 2-2 draw in midweek which saw Sporting progress to the Taca de Portugal final 4-3 on aggregate at the expense of their Lisbon neighbours.
Now HITC claim that Newcastle could be preparing a £140million double-swoop on Sporting to take Hjulmand and Diomande who both have release clauses of £70million. however, there will be plenty of interest in both players, particularly from the Premier League, which could make life difficult for Eddie Howe.
Hjulmand has appeared 42 times for Sporting in all competitions this season with four goals and four assists to his name.
We've been acutely aware all season that Newcastle have sorely needed a defensive midfielder to protect our backline, especially in games when Joelinton has been unavailable.
Bringing in both Diomande and Hjulmand would be an ideal scenario as the two would help each other settle into the side having already played together, but it does feel that it may be a tad unrealistic to expect to sign both players.
Newcastle also had scouts in Portugal watch over Porto striker Evanilson recently. It's looking like Portugal is going to be a big part of our summer transfer plans.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
21 | 30 | 50 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
22 | 22 | 44 |
3 |
Nottingham Forest
|
22 | 11 | 44 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
22 | 17 | 40 |
5 |
Manchester City
|
22 | 15 | 38 |
6 |
Newcastle United
|
22 | 12 | 38 |
7 |
Bournemouth
|
22 | 10 | 37 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
22 | -1 | 36 |
9 |
Brighton
|
22 | 5 | 34 |
10 |
Fulham
|
22 | 4 | 33 |
11 |
Brentford
|
22 | 1 | 28 |
12 |
Crystal Palace
|
22 | -3 | 27 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
22 | -5 | 26 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
22 | -16 | 26 |
15 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
22 | 10 | 24 |
16 |
Everton
|
21 | -10 | 20 |
17 |
Wolves
|
22 | -19 | 16 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
22 | -23 | 16 |
19 |
Leicester
|
22 | -25 | 14 |
20 |
Southampton
|
22 | -35 | 6 |