Newcastle United line up blockbuster move for wonderkid that Bernardo Silva claims will ‘steal’ his Portugal spot

Newcastle United have emerged as one of the leading contenders to sign Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Geovany Quenda in the January transfer window, according to Caught Offside.

The Magpies are eager to get their hands on one of the most coveted young wingers in world football to boost their Champions League hopes, but are likely to face stiff competition from the likes of Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Manchester United. Quenda moved to Portugal from Guinea Bissau as a child and spent time on the books of Benfica before joining Sporting at 13-years of age.

He shot to stardom in the capital In the 2021–22 season and after scoring 20 goals for the Under-17 team he was handed his first professional contract. In the 2023–24 season, Quenda despite only being 16-years-old, became the youngest player to start a reserve game for Sporting and was also included in Ruben Amorim’s first team squad on several occasions.

Over the summer, the right winger, who can only play as a wing-back, formed part of the Portugal Under-17 team which reached the final of the European Championships, with Quenda also making the team of the tournament.

His staggering at that tournament have since earned him recognition in Sporting’s senior team where he has already broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for being the team’s youngest ever goalscorer at 17-years, five months and 27 days. Quenda has featured in 17 games already across all competitions and played almost the entirety of Sporting’s 4-1 victory over Manchester City whilst also chipping in with an assist in the process.

The winger, who has a release clause of £84m, has been described by Bernardo Silva as someone capable of stealing his place in the national team and was among the substitutes for both of the team’s recent matches in the Nations League despite not getting onto the pitch. Silva said, via the Mirror: “He will probably steal my place. At 17, I wasn’t even playing for Benfica’s youth team.”

Caught Offside reports Newcastle see Quenda as an ideal candidate to replace Miguel Almiron if the Paraguayan winger is to leave Tyneside in January.

Other options include Brentford talisman Bryan Mbeumo after his incredible start to the campaign and long-term target Jarrod Bowen, who recently scored for England in a comprehensive 5-0 thrashing over Republic of Ireland.