Newcastle United will play football with Alexander Isak at the front next season. It's a wonderful thought, and it's very much set to happen, with The Athletic's David Ornstein stating there's "no chance" the Sweden striker leaves St. James' Park this summer.
That's because the Carabao Cup champions sealed their place in next year's Champions League on the final game of the Premier League season, clinching fifth place.
However, the future of Callum Wilson is less clear, out of contract at the end of the month, but offered fresh, reduced terms.
Perhaps Newcastle should move to sign a new centre-forward instead, with talks being held for an exciting Premier League star.
Newcastle meet with Premier League striker
As per NUFC Blog, Newcastle met with Rodrigo Muniz's camp last month to ascertain whether the Fulham forward would be interested in a move to Tyneside this summer.
rodrigo-muniz-fulham
He would, with the player's representatives exploring different avenues ahead of a potential summer transfer, heading into the final year of his Cottagers deal (albeit the club have the option to extend terms by an additional 12 months).
It's thought the prolific Brazilian could cost as much as £50m.
What Rodrigo Muniz would bring to Newcastle
Muniz signed for Fulham from Brazilian club Flamengo, aged 20, in 2021, making remarkable progress across the past two seasons in the Premier League for Marco Silva's side, having previously completed a difficult loan spell in the Championship with Middlesbrough, scoring twice across 17 fixtures.
Muniz
But having found his shooting sense with Fulham over the past two years, Silva has hailed him as a "proper quality striker", with pundit Alan Shearer backing such effusions up by calling him "horrible to play against."
His potential was perfectly illustrated by a rich burst of form last season in the Premier League, scoring seven goals from as many matches across spring.
This year, Muniz hasn't been provided the same regularity of minutes, but he's still managed to bag himself a goal when afforded a chance.
This innate clinical quality is actually something that could see him replace Wilson at St. James' Park, with his scoring leading FBref to draw him against the Newcastle man during the 2023/24 season, given both retain their attacking fluency even if not featuring week in, week out.
Wilson, reduced to scraps this season due to injury problems, is typically an invariably deadly finisher, scoring 27 goals across 30 Premier League starts over the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns.
Rodrigo Muniz in the Premier League
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Shots (on target)*
Big chances missed
Pass completion
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Tackles + interceptions*
Duels (won)*
Data via Sofascore
He's a target man, and no mistake. It's interesting, though, that Muniz has enjoyed such clinical shooting success across the past two years in the English top flight, also demonstrating a tenacious attitude in the duel, if not through his passing, his creativity.
As per FBref, he actually ranked among the top 3% of Premier League forwards this term for non-penalty goals scored per 90 (0.75), so prolific and fluent when afforded the chance to impress.
His failure to earn regular starts at Craven Cottage likely came from his overall game, which may not be kitted out with the completeness of other strikers. But that's okay; in that way, he can be Howe's next version of Wilson.
Newcastle striker Callum Wilson
Muniz doesn't need to bring a protean attacking arsenal to the fold when Isak's staying put, but his keen-edged shooting could certainly add the perfect dimension to ensure attacking success across the whole campaign, across a variety of fronts.
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Newcastle are plotting to sign a few new forwards this summer.