Manchester City have offered full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko to a couple of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United. Everton was the other club listed by The Athletic in their report.
Zinchenko has been labelled as ‘incredible’ by his current boss Pep Guardiola in the past. However, it looks like his time at City is up. The Ukrainian has been an effective option, being able to play at full-back and centre-midfield if need be. So it does come as some surprise to hear that City offered Zinchenko to Newcastle.
In addition, the Magpies are keen to bring in a new full-back after Matt Targett’s loan came to an end. It’s been reported that the left-back would prefer a move down south, Targett’s future with Newcastle is therefore uncertain. If he does leave then a replacement will need to be signed.
Zinchenko would be a really good signing, but Newcastle have other options to access
He has four Premier League winners medals to his name. City offering Zinchenko to Newcastle would seem to be a great pick-up for the Toon. The 25-year-old would certainly add that extra bit of quality to the squad.
However, when it comes to finding their Targett replacement, they have other options. There’s definitely a big chance they could convince the Villa loanee to sign permanently. He was very consistent during his time at St. James’ Park and was well-loved by some fans.
Additionally, Renan Lodi of Atletico Madrid has been linked with Newcastle. He knows Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes very well. Furthermore, he’s played at the top level of the game and even scored a key goal for Atletico this season. In the Champions League this year, he netted in the Round of 16 against Man Utd. He’s said to be interested in the project that the Toon are working on.
It’s the perfect dilemma for the Magpies. Any three of the left-backs listed would be a big boost. Targett has shown he can hold down that position on a consistent basis. Whilst Zinchenko and Lodi have proven themselves with two massive clubs. They’re not shortage of options this summer at St James’ Park.
With Targett’s future with Newcastle still uncertain, Newcastle are clearly assessing their options in the left-back position. Of the three, Lodi may be the best of the lot. He’s only 24-years-old, and played at the top level in Europe. His relationship with Trippier at Atletico and Guimaraes from their early playing days could help him settle in on Tyneside nicely.
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