Newcastle United are in desperate need of a new right winger in the January transfer window.
The Magpies are set to be short of wide attacking options at the end of the transfer window should they fail to bring someone in before the deadline.
Toon boss Eddie Howe revealed that Harvey Barnes is out for a month due to a thigh strain. And Miguel Almiron looks set to leave Newcastle for a return to the MLS.
It leaves just Jacob Murphy as the only fit option at right-wing. There was a scare in Newcastle’s defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday where Murphy went down injured and was taken off shortly after.
Howe confirmed Murphy’s substitution was merely tactical, but it was a sign of how things can suddenly turn upside down with a stroke of misfortune.
The need to sign a right winger was there in the summer after Newcastle sold Yankuba Minteh to Brighton. Howe has prioritised signing a winger in the summer. They may have found the right option but face tough competition to get a deal done.
Fiorentina battling Newcastle to sign Luiz Henrique
Luiz Henrique was linked to Newcastle recently after reportedly catching the club’s eye during Botafogo’s Brazilian Serie A title win last season.
During their title-winning campaign, Henrique scored seven goals and three assists in 35 appearances. Henrique joined Botafogo from Real Betis in February 2024 and before the move to Brazil, the 24-year-old had made appearances in the Europa League for the La Liga side but failed to make an impact.
Now, according to Corriere dello Sport, Italian Serie A side Fiorentina has entered the race to sign the winger.
As well as Fiorentina, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in signing Henrique.
The report states that those in the Fiorentina camp have deliberated hard over what to do with so many other clubs interested. The decision was made to try and pursue a deal.
For Newcastle, it could be seen as a cheaper alternative to Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo. A recent report suggested that Mbeumo would cost Newcastle as much as £60m in January. Botafogo are only looking for £25.3m for Henrique, so the cheaper move looks to be a no-brainer.
Henrique’s chance of getting minutes for Newcastle
While Newcastle are in the market for a right winger, it’s important they sign the right one and don’t rush into any deals.
Henrique looks like he would be a great option for Newcastle who will soon be desperate for a right-sided attacker. The only thing that may put a dampener on a move is that the Brazilian is a left-footed right winger. He may struggle to put in crosses with his weaker foot down that right-hand side.
Newcastle fans have seen the same thing happen with Almiron. Like Henrique, the Paraguayan is left-footed and has a tendency to cut back onto his favoured foot and completely kill off an attack.
Fans will hope that Howe can work his magic on Henrique to make him as useful as possible should he join the club.
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