Newcastle should target ‘remarkably complete’ wonderkid as £40m transfer alternative

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Newcastle United should reignite their interest in Real Valladolid defender Ivan Fresneda if they cannot complete a move for Tino Livramento.

The club are currently chasing the Southampton fullback, but have been quoted a whopping £40m for the defender, who played just two games last season as the Saints were relegated, and he recovered from a cruciate ligament tear.

This price tag for the 20-year-old is a huge gamble. It remains to be seen whether Livramento can regain his form following such a big injury, and £40m on a defender from the Championship who would initially play a backup role to Kieran Trippier seems excessively high.

Newcastle can do themselves a favour by shopping abroad for this position, and Fresneda could be the perfect solution. The Spaniard was linked with a move to Newcastle in January, and his price seems to have dropped following Real Valladolid’s relegation from La Liga.

Fresneda has a release clause of just £17m, less than half of what Livramento may cost, and he could even become the better player.

What would Fresneda bring to Newcastle?

The 18-year-old enjoyed an outstanding breakout season with Real Valladolid, heavily impressing with both his ability on the ball and his strength in duels.

He has been described as “remarkably complete” in this sense, and could be the perfect long-term successor to Trippier on the right.

Fresneda is very strong defensively, ranking highly for blocks and clearances amongst European fullbacks, and despite his young age, he has already delivered strong performances against world-class wingers such as Vinicius Junior.

The price difference alone makes him better value than Livramento, and if Barcelona cannot complete a deal for him, Newcastle could have a free run at the right-back.

It remains to be seen whether Eddie Howe will pursue the more familiar option in Livramento and pay a premium price or if he will turn to Fresneda as an alternative, but a move for the Spaniard could be a very shrewd bit of business.