It could be a long January transfer window for Newcastle United.
Eddie Howe’s judgment needs to be backed in order for the Magpies to have any chance of avoiding the drop out of the Premier League.
Nothing that Amanda Staveley and the Magpies board have said or done to this point would suggest they will be doing anything other than giving Howe exactly what he requires to do the job, and that could spell trouble for the other teams in the English top-flight.
If it’s money that players and their representatives want from any negotiations, then Newcastle will blow everyone out of the water.
River Plate’s highly-rated youngster, Julian Alvarez, has been interesting Manchester United, and as Sport, cited by The Sun report, the player’s representative is due to travel to England to discuss a potential transfer.
With a release clause that’s as low as £17m, it’s not thought that the demands would prove problematic for the Red Devils.
However, as Gazzetta dello Sport note, Internazionale currently remain in pole position to sign the player should he decide to move from the Argentinian giants – but Newcastle will make a ‘super offer’ to ensure that they place themselves in pole position.
The issue for Howe and Staveley is the club’s perilous current position and the fact that they don’t have the history or cachet of Man United.
Both English clubs may not be able to do anything at all if Serie A is decided upon as Alvarez’s next destination.