The major motif running throughout Newcastle United’s transfer window thus far has been their pursuit of various midfielders.
With the club’s priority thought to be signing a player capable of unleashing Bruno Guimaraes further up the field, it is the position Newcastle have been most linked with strengthening.
Sandro Tonali appears to be the man who will arrive in a big-money statement deal at St James’ Park.
The Italian, however, is far from the only name touted as a target.
Clearly, Newcastle cannot sign them all and it now appears as if they have lost ground on one particular option.
Newcastle lose ground in race for Conor Gallagher
Which brings us to Conor Gallagher.
The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to Tyneside, with Eddie Howe said to be a fan.
Hailed as “fantastic” by Gareth Southgate, the England international is reportedly up for sale at Chelsea.
Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, Newcastle were at one point leading the race to sign Gallagher.
Still, the situation may now have changed.
The report suggests clubs around Europe are starting to look at signing Gallagher, namely Borussia Dortmund.
The German giants are looking for a replacement for Jude Bellingham after his move to Real Madrid.
Newcastle have their priorities right
While not to suggest Gallagher would be a bad signing by any means, he hardly seemed like the kind of player to unlock Guimaraes.
Most of his career appearances have come in a more box-to-box role. Though that doesn’t say he can’t play deeper, it would seem strange to have devoted what would surely be a fair chunk of the budget to someone not operating in their primary area.
Tonali, meanwhile, has played most of his recorded career in that role. Between the two of them, the Italian looks – on paper – at least a lot more like what Newcastle want.
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