Newcastle have been linked with an ambitious move for Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez, with Spanish publication El Desmarque claiming he will leave the Bernabeu for the Premier League in January.
The report claims the decision has upset Zinedine Zindane, and the other players, with who he is a popular character, but also states Vazquez is seventh choice at Real, and likely to be sold.
West Ham are said to be favourites to land the 28-year-old winger, but Wolves, as well as Newcastle, could be very interested in a deal, according to the report.
Although Vazquez could be the right winger Newcastle need, there are a number of warning lights flashing, which suggest it is not likely to happen.
At 28, Vazquez’s age is against a move to Tyneside, with Mike Ashley’s policy of only wanting to spend money on players 25-and-under.
So being outside of that target age, and also likely to cost a significant fee – no figures are mentioned in the report, but it would be likely to be a minimum of around £25 million – would see a move for the Spaniard a non-starter.
Vazquez could be used to help Bruce sign Championship star
However, if Bruce is canny enough, he could use Vazquez as a bargaining chip in any chase for Hull’s Jarrod Bowen, who we have been linked with for a long time now.
If he could convince Ashley that a player like Vazquez, at 28, is seen as value for money at a larger fee than the Hull winger, it would help to justify the fee – thought to be approximately £20m – for Bowen.
Given that Bowen is only 22, and seen as a talented prospect, a deal for the Championship star will be seen as a much better deal than that of Vazquez.
Football can be such a simple game, but the politics behind the scenes are not, and if Bruce can gain any leverage to help persuade those above him to make a deal for Bowen happen, he should use it to its full extent.
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