Newcastle United ‘intend to return’ with bid for £17m-rated wonderkid wanted by Atletico Madrid and Ajax

Newcastle United are reportedly set to reignite their interest in highly-rated Portuguese youngster Roger Fernandes.

The Magpies were one of several clubs linked with a move for the Braga winger during the summer after the likes of Ajax and Atletico Madrid were also said to be monitoring his progress since the 17-year-old broke into the senior setup last year.

Fernandes made his debut as a late substitute in a league game against Sporting Lisbon in August 2021 before scoring a first senior goal in a Taca de Portugal win at Moitense two months later. He ended his first season in the senior side with three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions and earned the praise of former Braga manager Carlos Carvahal for the impact he had made.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “It was unbelievable. I know football. This is not normal. I asked him the next day, ‘Where did you learn this? Who taught you? This is a complex position.’ He told me that he watched all of Braga’s games and when he had been told that he would play as a left winger, he spent all that day watching videos of Galeno (the injured player he replaced).

“He had studied his movements in the offensive phase, defensive phase and the transition. Wow. At 15 years old, this was something special. The modern young player does not like to watch full games but this boy had done all that he could to learn this position.”

Carvahal’s successor Artur Jorge has taken a slightly different view of the youngster’s development and has sent Fernandes to train with Braga’s B team throughout the first half of the current season. That has led to speculation Newcastle could make a move to tempt the winger to Tyneside as they look to continue adding young talent to their squad with a move similar to the one that will see Australian forward Garang Kuol join the club in January.

A report on Fernandes in Portuguese outlet A Bola has suggested the Magpies ‘intend to return’ with a lower offer than the £17m bid that was speculated during the summer transfer window.