Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing teenage sensation Giovani.
That’s according to ESPN in Brazil, who claim the Magpies are one of three clubs eyeing up the 18-year-old Palmeiras winger. The other two clubs mentioned are Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax, with the latter previously having a £10million bid rejected.
Now Newcastle are in the mix, as Palmeiras face up to the prospect of losing another one of their top young talents. Gabriel Veron has already left this summer, joining Porto.
However, the Brazilian side do have an ace up their sleeve in their battle to keep Giovani. His current release clause is worth a whopping £50million. That kind of money would make him Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever.
There’s no chance the Toon owners will pay that much money, but Giovani is certainly a star of the future. In fact, he’s already been likened to a couple of Premier League players.
Giovani compared to Jadon Sancho
According to Goal, Giovani has been likened to Arsenal’s new number nine Gabriel Jesus. The comparison is easy to make. Two Brazilian players whose careers began at Palmeiras. Giovani has also played through the middle at times as a striker.
However, they state that he is more like Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho. Based on last season, that’s not the biggest compliment given how much he struggled at Old Trafford.
But Sancho is a brilliant player – an incredibly quick winger who drifts with the ball and can go either way. Looking at clips from Giovani’s official Instagram page, he can certainly do that.
Newcastle interested in another Brazilian teen
Giovani isn’t the first South American teen to be linked with Newcastle this summer. Santos’ Angelo has also been rumoured to be a target for the Magpies. Steve Nickson has even been to Brazil to watch the forward.
Newcastle’s head of recruitment has his finger on the pulse when it comes to South America, and now the club have the finances to sign the players he recommends.
But whether or not Angelo or Giovani move to St James’ Park remains to be seen. The former can’t come until next year due to his age, while the latter might cost a lot of money.
Newcastle are looking for a right winger, and that’s where Giovani plays his best football. Investing in an 18-year-old from Brazil wouldn’t be the obvious choice for the Magpies, but it would be a deal with one eye on the future.