It does not take a genius to point out that many of Newcastle United’s supposed transfer targets are midfielders.
Currently, Eddie Howe has only five players for what is usually three positions and that is including young Elliot Anderson.
The Newcastle boss has admitted he did not want Jonjo Shelvey to leave in January, explaining the links with the likes of Scott McTominay and Conor Gallagher.
Now, a new name has emerged.
Newcastle United ready to bid for Marcelo Brozovic
According to Milan Web, the Magpies are now ready to launch an attempt to sign Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.
The 30-year-old has been a fixture of the Croatia team who finished second and third respectively at the last two World Cup and also won Serie A with Inter in 2020.
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Despite his importance to the cause at San Siro, Inter will reportedly not put up a fight to keep their deep-lying playmaker as they wish to invest in their squad.
It is claimed Newcastle are ready to pay between £21.9m and £26.4m to land the player, who is reportedly keen on a new challenge.
An ideal replacement for Jonjo Shelvey
While there is always a risk in signing a player over 30, Brozovic’s performances in Qatar would hardly suggest his powers are on the wane.
Indeed, the midfielder broke his own record for distance covered at a World Cup game, reaching 16.7km over the 120 minutes played against Japan in the last-16.
That was over 400m more than the previous record, which Brozovic set himself against England in 2018.
According to FBREF data, he ranks amongst Europe’s leading 84% of central midfielder playing across the big five leagues for progressive passes (6.95), passes attempted (77.52) and average pass completion rate (88/9%) per game.
Given Bruno Guimaraes has expressed a desire to play further forward, perhaps a signing of his ilk could help unlock the Brazilian, as Shelvey did in a deeper role last season.