Newcastle in club-to-club talks to sign £17m star

The transfer window has been open for less than a week, and Newcastle United already find themselves in familiar territory: a quagmire of disappointment and perhaps even disbelief, as Liverpool hijack their move for Osasuna winger Victor Munoz.

Last summer, it was Hugo Ekitike. Two years before that, Dominik Szoboszlai. The fact that Alexander Isak moved to Merseyside in a record £125m transfer added insult to injury too.

There is of course the sweet aftertaste that comes when remembering how the Magpies laid waste to Arne Slot’s Reds at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final, but football is always moving forward, and Eddie Howe needs to react to this setback.

Luckily, the mercantile window is open for over two more months, so Howe has plenty of time to put it all to rights, but he can ill-afford another blunder. Newcastle need to get a signing over the line.

Newcastle in talks to sign Premier League

It’s not all doom and gloom. For all the struggle that Newcastle have been through over the past ten months, they have a squad filled with talented players, and a manager who has led them to silverware and into separate Champions League campaigns.

But we are all in concert about the need for a much better and smoother transfer window than the Toon were forced into last year, having a detrimental effect on Howe’s plans and then his side’s campaign. Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League, and it felt like a retrogression for the Magpies.

With Anthony Gordon sold to Barcelona, and Munoz now moving to Merseyside, something needs to be done – quickly.

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are interested in signing Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard, who could lead the Emirates as a Premier League champion this summer.

The suggestion is that the Magpies have already been in direct contact with the Gunners regarding a potential deal.

The 31-year-old has been a mainstay for Mikel Arteta, but Arsenal are eyeing a new left-sided forward this summer, so this could be a natural endpoint for Trossard, one year out from the end of his contract.

Besiktas are among the rival suitors Newcastle need to battle, but it’s understood that the Turkish side will only pay £17m for his signature, and the Gunners want more than that.

Why Trossard could be perfect for Newcastle

Trossard isn’t the youngest forward on the block anymore, but he is unquestionably one of the most experienced attackers plying their trade in the Premier League right now, still buzzing from Arsenal’s triumph after three successive second-place finishes.

Described as “the best finisher” for the north London club by pundit Ian Wright, there is certainly something to be said about Trossard’s clinical performances from wide and central positions, starting 76 top-flight fixtures since leaving Brighton and joining Arsenal for £27m in January 2022, scoring 37 goals in that timeframe.

This is “one of the league’s most clever players”, according to Arsenal podcast host Adam Keys, a “mentality monster” who has come up trumps for his outfit any number of times over the years, invariably dangeous in the final third.

It’s exactly what Newcastle need, and while he might not have Munoz’s pace and potential, he would stand a good chance of making a bigger impact next season. Munoz only scored six goals and supplied two assists in La Liga last year, and not for the want of trying. He averaged 2.2 shots per game, basically unable to direct his high-intensity approach and will it into something sharp and coherent.

Trossard is cut from different cloth. With Gordon having gone and the likes of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa so far struggling to restore a semblance of Isak’s threat in the Magpies box, someone like Trossard could prove a significant addition.

Whether Newcastle get it over the line is another question entirely. Fans surely won’t hold their breath. However, Trossard has what it takes to make a big difference at the club, and he could end up being among the signings of the summer.