Newcastle United ‘prepare’ for transfer battle to land £35m wonderkid amid Cody Gakpo ‘interest’

Dutch star faces increasing Premier League interest
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Newcastle have enjoyed their best Premier League start since the 2011/12 season when they finished fifth, and they currently sit third in the league behind Manchester City and current leaders Arsenal.

They have stormed the league so far, recording just one loss in 15 games. The Magpies beat Chelsea 1-0 in their last outing before the World Cup break, having previously defeated Southampton 4-1, Aston Villa 4-0 and Tottenham 2-1.

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Eddie Howe has received plenty of support from the Newcastle owners in terms of signings, with summer purchases such as Sven Botman and goalkeeper Nick Pope excelling.

As the next transfer season fast approaches, the Magpies are once again on the lookout and here is the latest transfer news from St James’ Park:

Magpies transfer target offers hopeful plea

It’s no secret that England’s Declan Rice is keen to leave West Ham, after he snubbed the offer of a new contract. The last two transfer windows were full of rumours that the Hammers midfielder would be leaving the London Stadium, with Newcastle high on the list of prospective buyers, however no exit was sealed.

The 23-year-old has now instigated fresh claims of his desire to move as he said in a recent press conference: “Yeah-one hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years i’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.

Declan Rice announces wish to leave West Ham Declan Rice announces wish to leave West Ham
Declan Rice announces wish to leave West Ham
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“I see my friends here (England World Cup squad) who are playing in the Champions League and competing for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end of it you want to look back at what you’ve on and the biggest games you’ve played in. I really want to do that.”

Newcastle to fight Leeds over transfer target

According to the Chronicle Live, Newcastle have had a long-standing interest in Netherlands Cody Gakpo who is currently excelling for his country at the World Cup.

The PSV star had been a Leeds United target, however, his strong performances in Qatar may see him slip from their grasp as other clubs show interest. The Magpies have reportedly long shown interest in the forward, saying he has been on the club’s radar even before they were taken over by the consortium involving Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

However, not only will the Magpies fight off competition from Leeds but they might also have to fight off competition from Manchester United and Liverpool. Gakpo has scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in his 24 PSV Eindhoven matches this season, as well as scoring three goals in three World Cup games.

Newcastle set to battle Chelsea over Brazilian star

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This summer, 8-year-old midfielder Andrey Santos received growing interest and a reported £17.5m bid was turned down by his Brazilian club, Vasco Da Gama, for the youngster to move to St James’ Park. However, this has not quelled their interest and Santos, who has a £35m release clause, and he is now attracting the attention of PSG, Barcelona and fellow Premier League club Chelsea.

Transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano has said the Magpies and the Blues are the only clubs currently tracking him although also adds it is ‘too early’ to say if a deal will be done. Despite his age, Santos has established himself as one of the top performers in Brazil’s second tier league.