Newcastle United are now in pole position to sign Luis Suarez from Sporting CP this summer, despite interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.
Newcastle in talks to sign Luis Suarez
An impressive goalscorer on Barcelona's radar called Suarez may sound familiar, but this is not the 39-year-old currently enjoying life at Inter Miami. Instead, this is Sporting's latest star who looks destined for the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Viktor Gyokeres.
It's no surprise to see Newcastle in the mix, either. They've got an undeniable striker problem and have done since the departure of Alexander Isak last summer.
luis-suarez-sporting
Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, signed for a combined fee of over £150m, were meant to solve that problem. Neither have impressed to that extent, however, and Woltemade even finds himself in midfield these days.
As such, the Magpies are on the hunt for a fresh solution. According to Sports Boom, Newcastle have opened talks to sign Suarez and are in "pole position" to land his signature ahead of Barcelona.
League stats 25/26 Woltemade Suarez
Minutes 1,760 2,519
Goals 7 26
Assists 3 6
XG 6.45 21.98
Chances created 17 44
The Sporting star has been excellent in Portugal this season, acting as a replacement for Gyokeres by scoring 26 of his 35 goals in all competitions in the Liga Portugal.
If Suarez is anything like Gyokeres, then Newcastle can certainly expect goals. Whilst the Swede has still struggled at times, his numbers speak for themselves - scoring 21 goals in all competitions.
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Compared to Woltemade, the upgrade that Suarez would hand Eddie Howe is also clear. The forward has scored 19 more league goals and done so whilst outperforming his XG by around four goals. He is the clinical striker that Newcastle have been looking for at a price of around €60m (£52m) this summer.
Howe admits Newcastle "have to" focus on next season
It was another tough afternoon for Newcastle against Nottingham Forest. It just about sums up their season that boyhood fan Elliot Anderson scored a late equaliser for Vitor Pereira's side. Howe, though, remained optimistic at full-time and admitted that a lot of his focus is on the future.
"I think we’ve got one eye on the future. I think that’s been clear with some of the decisions that I’ve made with the team, because we want to see some players.
"We want to see how they’re going to grow into the team. I thought Jacob Ramsey today was magnificent when he came on. I thought he really made a big difference, as did Harvey (Barnes). So it’s great to see players stepping up and grabbing their opportunities when they come on. I think we have to."
It looks as though it will be the former Bournemouth boss in charge when next season arrives, but there's no doubt that Newcastle cannot afford to make a slow start.
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