Eddie Howe, sooner rather than later, will have to address the elephant in the room regarding his current midfield options.
Blessed with one of the league’s top trios in Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, it’s engine room that can more than pull its weight in the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Beyond those three, however, Howe has teenage talent Lewis Miley pushing for game time, an out of sorts Joe Willock and a soon-to-be out-of-contract Sean Longstaff, who is the subject of a £12m bid from Leeds, as revealed last night.
With that in mind, it’s interesting to see a familiar name with plenty of experience linked with a potential move to St James’ Park after failing to settle in Italy…
According to TV Dello Sport reporter Giovanni Albanese, Newcastle are interested in signing current Juventus and former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.
Albanese notes that we’re one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in the Brazilian, who has endured a torrid time in Turin since his move there 12 months ago.
It’s believed Newcastle are one of four Premier League clubs eyeing Luiz, with Everton, Fulham and Leeds thought to have joined ambitious Serie A side Como in the mix for his signature.
Fabrizio Romano has also reported on interest from England, claiming a number of unnamed Premier League sides have approached Juventus, with the midfielder ‘expected to leave’ this summer.
The 27-year-old, heading into a vital World Cup year, still has every chance of making Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, but you would imagine he’d need a lot more game time than what he’s currently being afforded under Igor Tudor.
Luiz only managed 45 minutes against Al-Ain during Juventus’ recent Club World Cup campaign, and only 27 appearances in total across all competitions: not what many would have been expecting after his stellar displays for Aston Villa.
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Of course, Toon fans will be wary of links made between the club and Italy’s top teams from within their media, as we often question if our name is thrown into the mix via agents or the selling clubs, who are keen to start bidding wars.
If a sale is made to accommodate his arrival, Luiz could bring experience, a bit more South American flair and an option able to cover Tonali in the No 6 role or either of our Brazilian’s who often operate in No 8 positions these days.
The aforementioned Willock and Longstaff will be prime candidates to be sold, especially the latter after a concrete bid from Leeds.
But then there’s Lewis Miley: the young Englishman is clearly thought of highly and needs a route to game time next season after struggling for minutes over the 2024/25 season.
We need added quality and depth, which Luiz could bring, but it’s important any move for a possible Longstaff replacement doesn’t block Miley’s route to games.