Newcastle United and Everton plot ‘£100m’ Serie A raid as Toon eye ‘frantic’ January scramble

Newcastle United are quickly closing in on a return to competitive action. With the World Cup reaching its conclusion this weekend, the Magpies will soon be back to their usual routine in the Premier League and domestic cups, with a Carabao Cup clash against Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, followed by a Boxing Day showdown against Leicester City.

Before then, however, United have been keeping themselves ticking over with a warm weather training trip to Saudi Arabia, and returned to St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon for a friendly against Spanish outfit Rayo Vallecano. The Magpies picked up a 2-1 win against their visitors, with Sean Longstaff and Chris Wood on the scoresheet.

But while club football may have been on hold over the past few weeks, the transfer speculation has been as rampant as ever. Here is Sunday morning’s round-up of the latest Newcastle United news...

Newcastle eye Napoli star

Newcastle United are one of a number of clubs who are keen to snap up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, according to 90min. The Magpies will have to pay handsomely for the in-demand star, however, with suggestions that the Serie A outfit could ask for as much as £100 million in any potential deal.

The Georgian winger has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Italy, and has registered eight goals and 10 assists since signing from Dinamo Batumi. As such, he has started to attract attention from a number of high profile clubs. Alongside Newcastle, it is understood that Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United are all monitoring the 21-year-old’s situation.

But despite initial claims from some reports that he could be available for as little as £50 million, it is now understood that Napoli will hold out for at least double that amount. 90min suggest that his current employers are ‘intent on keeping the Georgian winger for at least one more season and are confident of agreeing terms on a bumper new contract’.

Toon in Fresneda chase

Newcastle United are one of several clubs interested in securing a deal for Real Valladolid starlet Ivan Fresneda, according to a report from AS. The Spanish outlet suggest that the Magpies are among a whole host of potential suitors for the 18-year-old.

Despite his age, the right-back had established himself as a regular starter for the La Liga outfit prior to the World Cup, and has been touted for a big future. As things stand, it is understood that he has a release clause of around £26 million written into his contract in Spain, but that figure is expected to grow as certain appearance-related milestones are met. It is expected that Fresneda will be valued at around £39 million by the time he plays his 22nd game for Valladolid - a feat he could quite easily accomplish between now and the summer transfer window.

As such, AS claim that Newcastle are involved in a ‘frantic’ scramble to sign him in January, but face competition from the likes of Leeds United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wolves, Everton, Brentford, Southampton, and Fulham.