Juventus have now joined Newcastle in the race to sign £8m defender

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Journalist Rudy Galetti is now claiming that Juventus are tracking Boca Juniors’ Valentin Barco after Newcastle United had sent scouts to watch over the defender.

Newcastle have shown previous interest in the full-back back in September, though it’s unclear if they were willing to make a bid in January.

Rudy Galetti now says that Juventus are in the mix for Barco with Inter Milan also still interested in signing him, so there is plenty of competition for Newcastle to fight off.

Barco available for just £8m

The defender has impressed in his 33 games he has played for Boca Juniors’ first team since making his debut in 2021.

Barco has primarily played as a left-back during his time at the South American club, but his ability to play further forwards down the left could be very useful to those who are tracking him.

The Argentinian side are currently trying to negotiate a new deal with their top prospect as his current contract expires in December 2024 and has a release clause of just £8m, sparking interest from a number of big European clubs.

Galetti stated in his tweet that there are still many clubs after his signature and that Boca are doing what they can to get a new contract sorted.

Boca Juniors, of course, will want to keep Barco for the long-term, but if the time does come to sell him, they will also want to maximise their profits from the likes of Juventus and Newcastle and can only do so if he agrees on a renewal.

How Barco would fit into Newcastle’s team

Newcastle have been very keen to find a more forward-thinking full-back to replace Dan Burn and try to match Kieran Trippier’s attacking output from the opposite flank.

Lewis Hall was signed on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer with the idea that he would become that attacking full-back.

But that’s not to say that Newcastle can’t still look for someone else to compete. Dan Burn is 31-years-old after all and Newcastle cannot solely rely on Hall to play down the left in the future, so why not bring in added competition for that role while the price is right?

As previously mentioned, Barco’s versatility would also come in very handy and he could help out in attack if needed.

The Argentinian is set to have his pick of clubs if he decides not to renew next year, but Newcastle will be hoping that they can present the most attractive offer.