Newcastle United considered brining in Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze before they signed Sandro Tonali from AC Milan.
That is according to a report from the Evening Standard.
It claims that Newcastle viewed Eberechi Eze as an option earlier in the summer, but Sandro Tonali was the man who they signed in the end.
While Eze will not be joining the Magpies, there is a chance that he could still leave Selhurst Park before the transfer window closes next week.
The 25-year-old is now of interest to Manchester City and Palace may be open to selling him for £70m, the Evening Standard also reports.
Eberechi Eze could have been a good signing for Newcastle
Eze is quite a versatile footballer, able to play behind the striker, on the flank and in the engine room. What really would have impressed Roy Hodgson last season, though, is the fact that the England international started to add goals to his game.
He scored 10 times in 38 Premier League games last term, which is the first occasion where he has reached double figures in the division.
Discussing his quality back in May, Palace captain Joel Ward labelled it as “incredible”.
Eddie Howe probably would have been delighted if Newcastle managed to sign Eze, but you would imagine that he is still happy with Tonali’s arrival, perhaps even more than happy.
Tonali is a quality player himself. He is an Italy international and has made an instant impact at St James’ Park.
The 23-year-old scored on his Newcastle debut, a 5-1 win against Aston Villa, which would have pleased his manager and supporters of the Tyneside club.
All in all, while Eze could have brought a lot to this Newcastle team, not signing the Palace man is not the end of the world for Howe and his side.