Newcastle United ‘lead race’ for talented £33m Premier League star who Alan Shearer rates highly

Newcastle United have learned a harsh lesson in squad depth during their first Champions League campaign in two decades and although the club are still in the hunt for a Europa League spot this season, Eddie Howe is determined to learn from the mistakes that hampered his team’s progress at times this term.

That’s according to reports from FootballTransfers who claim that the Magpies are leading the race to sign highly-rated Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.

The Belgian international is a player who has caught the eye since joining the Toffees for a fee of £33m in the summer of 2022.

The 22-year-old, who is a former teammate of Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon, has played 69 times in total for Everton and has established himself as a stalwart in Sean Dyche’s side in a year when the club have been able to avoid a relegation fight despite various points deductions.

Onana stands at 6ft4 and is renowned for his physicality and presence in the midfield, something which Newcastle have lacked in recent months following the injury to Joelinton in the Tyne-Wear derby.

The Blues midfielder has been lauded for his tough tackling and his ability to break up opposition attacks and his arrival would facilitate Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes to move freely to get involved in the attacking side of the game next term.

Onana has also earned the respect of Newcastle icon and all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer. The Match of the Day pundit has previously hailed Onana as a ‘powerhouse’ and adds that he is someone that leads by example in the midfield.

Newcastle were previously able to prise away Gordon from Goodison Park, and given Everton’s current problems off-the-pitch it is likely that they will look to offload some of their most valuable assets in the summer transfer window.

However, Newcastle are not alone in their pursuit of Onana, and the youngster is reportedly also being coveted by the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich ahead of the summer window.