Newcastle United have joined the race to sign an exciting young player with a "big future" in the game, according to a new transfer update.
Newcastle transfer news
The Magpies have been going through something of a rocky period in recent days, and while part of that is down to a few iffy results against Borussia Dortmund and Wolves, it is more to do with Sandro Tonali's 10-month ban. The Italian will now miss the rest of the 2023/24 season because of breaching betting rules as an AC Milan player, acting as a big blow to Newcastle's chances of once again finishing in the top four in the Premier League.
The search is now on to find a perfect replacement for Tonali in the January transfer window, with lots of names already being mooted as potential targets. The likes of Kalvin Phillips, Ruben Neves or N'Golo Kante are all linked with joining Newcastle, while Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is a Magpies target, too, with Eddie Howe reportedly seeing him as a dream signing.
While bringing in someone to make up for the loss of Tonali clearly takes precedence at the moment, that's not to say that the Magpies, and by extension owners PIF, couldn't do with strengthening in other areas as well, in order to increase their chances of once again qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Newcastle want Marcos Leonardo
According to a new transfer report from UOL [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are interested in signing Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo, who is currently plying his trade at Santos, and have even made first contacts over a possible deal. It is claimed that the Magpies are the "newest" club to join the race to sign the 20-year-old, with Santos seeing it as a "dream" to make around €20-25m (£17.4m-£21.8m) for their player's services eventually.
Leonardo nearly moved to Serie A side Roma during the summer transfer window but ended up staying put there because of other players leaving, such as Deivid Washington heading to Chelsea. The young attacker may not yet be a household name to the mainstream footballing public, but he is someone who could be such an eye-catching signing by Newcastle, with young Brazilian forwards often bringing an element of intrigue with them.
Leonardo's statistics show just how big an impression he has already made in a Santos shirt, considering he has scored 54 goals in 161 appearances, also chipping in with 11 assists overall. He netted seven times in as many caps for Brazil's Under-20s, too, showing what an exciting prospect he is at international level.
Appearances
161
Goals
54
Assists
11
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has waxed lyrical over the attacker in the recent past, too, saying he is a "natural goalscorer", as well as adding that he is "another Menino da Vila with a big future ahead." Primarily a centre forward, Leonardo could come in and provide immediate competition for Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson in attack, and the fact that the latter is now 31 years of age means the Brazilian could also be viewed as an eventual replacement for him in the team, making this one to watch.