Newcastle United have stepped up their search for attacking reinforcements after missing out on Victor Munoz, with two emerging World Cup stars now firmly on the club’s radar.
The Magpies were left frustrated after Liverpool swooped to secure Munoz despite Newcastle United’s long-standing interest in the Osasuna winger, forcing Eddie Howe to turn his attention elsewhere.
The relationship between the two clubs has become strained in recent times due to the drama surrounding the arrivals of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak on Merseyside last summer and missing out on Munoz has only muddied the waters further.
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are now maintaining a watchful eye on Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Toure and Bayer Leverkusen youngster Kerim Alajbegovic, with both players enhancing their reputations on the international stage during during this summer’s World Cup.
The report states that Liverpool, Brighton, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all tracked Toure over the past year, while Brentford are currently expected to be the first club to table a formal offer.
Alajbegovic is another player attracting growing interest. Bayer Leverkusen activated their option to re-sign the 18-year-old earlier this summer, but the Bundesliga side are already weighing up the possibility of cashing in if the right proposal arrives.
Interest is building from both the Premier League and Serie A after the Bosnian international’s impressive World Cup performances.
Alajbegovic scored a superb goal against Qatar during Bosnia’s 3-1 World Cup win, underlining why so may clubs believe in the enormous future ahead of him.
After missing out on Munoz, Newcastle United are determined not to stand still after Liverpool beat them to one of their priority attacking targets this summer.
With interest from across Europe continuing to grow in the pair, the Magpies may need to move quickly if they decide which World Cup breakthrough star is worth pursuing.