Newcastle United have been closely monitoring Fiorentina’s Amir Richardson, NUFC Blog can exclusively reveal.
The 6ft 6′ midfielder has impressed in Italy since sealing an £8.5m move from Stade Reims last August and may be one to watch over the coming weeks.
Newcastle scouts have been tracking the 23-year-old, who could come into the club’s thinking should Joe Willock move on this summer following tentative interest from Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Sean Longstaff is also facing an uncertain future on Tyneside. The 27-year-old has just entered the last 12 months of his contract and is well down the current pecking order, with his last league start coming in our 4-2 defeat at Brentford last December.
Technically gifted, box-to-box and a surprisingly slick dribbler for his lanky frame, Richardson has the potential to bring something different to Newcastle’s pool of midfielders, which could be refreshed later in the window to provide depth beyond Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.
The left-sided midfielder came through the youth systems at OGC Nice and Le Havre before earning his break in Ligue 1 with Reims two seasons ago.
Born in France to an American father and a Moroccan mother, Richardson was not a regular starter for Fiorentina last season, with most of his 27 league outings coming from the bench.
However, as an emerging Moroccan international with a unique profile and Europa Conference League experience under his belt during Fiorentina’s recent run to the semi final, he has the raw attributes and potential to be a hit in the Premier League.
For now, Newcastle are likely to prioritise the arrival of James Trafford, top right-winger target Anthony Elanga and alternatives to Marc Guehi and Joao Pedro at either end of the pitch, but midfield options will come into the equation should Longstaff or Willock depart, and Richardson is one of them.