Newcastle: Magpies ready to make Federico Chiesa offer
Newcastle are ready to make a €50m (£43m) offer to sign the forward.
Newcastle United are now ready to make an offer of €50m (£43m) plus bonuses to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, who is also attracting interest from Aston Villa and the Saudi Pro League, according to reports from Italy.
What’s the latest Newcastle transfer news?
Newcastle have already signed Harvey Barnes for a fee of around £39m this summer, but perhaps owing to Allan Saint-Maximin’s recent departure, they seemingly remain in the market for a new winger, and there have been a number of players linked.
Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the more high-profile players to have been touted for a move to St. James’ Park, and journalist Ben Jacobs believes he would be a brilliant signing, saying:
“It would be an incredible bit of business if anyone can get Kvaradona – or Kvaratskhelia if we are calling him by his full name, but he’s known as Kvaradona in Napoli circles as they’re prepared to sort of mention him in the same breath as another Napoli legend Diego Maradona.”
Back in July, it was reported the Magpies had submitted a proposal for Chiesa, and their interest in the Juventus winger has not gone away, with reports from Italy, via Sport Witness, detailing they are now ready to put forward an offer worth €50m (£43m) plus bonuses.
Aston Villa remain interested in signing the Italian, with clubs from the Saudi Pro League also in the mix, however, he has turned down offers from the Middle East, which seemingly don’t appeal to him.
Juventus are not focusing on selling the 25-year-old at the moment, as they plan to keep him in the squad and offer him a new contract, but it is unclear whether an offer of £43m would make them reconsider their stance.
Although he is not interested in a move to Saudi Arabia, a transfer to the Premier League could appeal to the Juventus star, especially considering Champions League football will be on offer at St. James’ Park next season.
How good is Federico Chiesa?
The Italy international was not one of Juventus’ best-performing players in the Serie A last season, with an average WhoScored match rating of 6.59 ranking him just 15th in the squad, however, it is clear that he has a great deal of quality.
In the past year, the playmaker has averaged 0.42 assists per 90, which places him in the 96th percentile compared to his positional peers, and he also ranks in the 84th percentile for successful take-ons, showcasing his dribbling ability.