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Newcastle United fear a familiar and unwelcome feeling creeping back into their summer transfer plans — Liverpool lurking with intent just as the Magpies line up attacking reinforcements from abroad.
Twelve months on from seeing the Reds swoop in to hijack their move for Hugo Ekitike and mere days from the swoop for Osasuna winger Victor Munoz, Eddie Howe’s side are worried again.
The Daily Mail has reported that Newcastle are exploring deals for Cologne winger Said El Mala and Lille forward Matias Fernandez‑Pardo as they seek to add pace and flexibility to Eddie Howe’s front line:
“Newcastle United are showing interest in Cologne winger Said El Mala and maintaining contact over Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo,” reports Simon Jones.
“But Premier League adversaries Liverpool are waiting in the wings, if they fail to land their priority targets Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig or Paris St Germain’s Bradley Barcola.”
Both players are young, explosive and capable of playing across the frontline, precisely the profile Liverpool have also been analysing as potential alternatives to RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has already named El Mala, Fernandez‑Pardo and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh on Liverpool’s radar should Diomande’s €100 million valuation prove prohibitive, with the trio ticking the same boxes of dynamism and pressing intensity that Iraola demands.
That overlap of targets is what has Newcastle worried. They know that if Liverpool formally turn to their Diomande “Plan B”, any advanced talks with Cologne or Lille could suddenly be complicated by a late, decisive bid from
For now, Newcastle remain in contact over El Mala and Fernandez‑Pardo and hope to move quickly, but the shadow of another Liverpool hijack looms large
El Mala scored 13 goals and added five assists in 34 league appearances during his first full campaign at senior level, mixing explosive ball‑carrying with tidy end product in the final third.
That form has already drawn serious Premier League interest, with Brentford reported to have tabled an offer worth around £40 million, although Mala’s camp decided not to make the switch.