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Newcastle United are reportedly monitoring a former Wolves player ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Magpies will enter the summer transfer window on much better financial footing than they did almost a year ago. In that window, both Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh were sold in order to ensure the club did not receive a points deduction for falling foul of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
The sale of Miguel Almiron in January further boosted their coffers, with Lloyd Kelly’s permanent switch to Juventus set to go through when the summer window opens. They do need to strengthen in a number of areas, though, with another winger to replace the hole left by Almiron’s return to the MLS, one key area they will want to bolster before the start of next season.
Newcastle United’s Francisco Trincao interest
According to the I, Newcastle United have been ‘monitoring’ Sporting CP winger Trincao this season. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 15 assists for his club this season on the back of a ten goal and ten assist campaign last year as Sporting, then under the guidance of Ruben Amorim, surged to the Liga Portugal title amassing 90 points in just 34 league games.
Trincao can play all across the forward line, but is predominantly used as a right-winger by his club - a position the Magpies will be desperate to fill this summer. Of course, it’s likely that any move for Trincao will come with its hurdles with the Portuguese club unwilling to sell one of their key players, particularly with Viktor Gyokeres, their star striker over the past two seasons, set to be a man in-demand this summer.
Trincao, who turns 26 at the end of the year, has just one year left on his current contract at Sporting, however, offering the Magpies an opportunity to swoop this summer if they do not want to risk losing him on a free transfer when that contract ends. Trincao is represented by Jorge Mendes’ Gestifute agency and does have Premier League experience in his past - although that came during a season at Molineux he may not reflect too kindly on.
Trincao’s one season Wolves spell
Trincao spent the entire 2021/22 season on-loan at Molineux. Having signed for Barcelona a year previous, he struggled for minutes at the Camp Nou with a move to Wolves, who had a plethora of Portuguese players on their books at the time, seen as an ideal way for him to get gametime in one of Europe’s top-five leagues.
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However, 30 appearances in all competitions for Wolves resulted in Trincao netting just three times and registering one assist. Wolves did not decide to make that loan into a permanent deal when his time at Molineux came to an end in the summer of 2022 as he returned to Barcelona.
Trincao would join Sporting CP on-loan that summer before making a permanent switch a season later, with Barcelona losing around £20m on the player.
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