Newcastle take on Bournemouth at St James' Park on Saturday in the Premier League
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When Newcastle United line up against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon there may be a sense of what might have been.
Talented Brazilian teenager Rayan joined the Cherries in a £24.7million deal, their second biggest ever transfer fee, as they beat off competition from clubs in Europe, as well as Saudi Arabia, for the 19-year-old winger's signature.
He has ambitions of playing for the 'most powerful team in Europe' in five years' time and saw the Vitality Stadium as the perfect next step after bursting on to the scene with Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama.
Rayan was a player Newcastle had scouted ahead of the January transfer window but United never advanced on their interest despite being offered to the Magpies by the Brazilian side.
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Instead, he ended up at Bournemouth and his impact was immediate. He bagged two goals and an assist in his opening three matches for the club and his direct dribbling style has already earned him a lot of plaudits.
"He has been excellent," Alexander Smith, Bournemouth reporter for the Bournemouth Daily Echo, told Chronicle Live.
"He really hit the ground running and showed just what he was made of with two goals and an assist in his first three games, just the third teenager to achieve that in the league after Robbie Keane and Anthony Martial.
"He hasn’t had as much of an impact in the past few but he’s certainly been influencing games as he continues to get up to speed in the league, and has impressed overall - shown by his first Brazil call up and he is in the running for the World Cup."
His form earned him a Brazil call-up for March internationals against France and Croatia, winning his first cap against the latter, and his dream is to win a place in the squad for this summer's World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
To do that, he must continue his form at club level. Newcastle will hope that doesn't start tomorrow and there is no talk over whether they should have followed up on those initial scouting meetings.
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