Newcastle considering bid for ‘dangerous’ £35m player, he just qualified for CL final

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Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu has caught the eye of Newcastle United as reports in Italy have linked the Magpies with a summer move for the Turkish international.

A report in Italy from Calciomercatoweb has said that Hakan Calhanoglu‘s form this season has attracted interest from the Premier League and Newcastle could be the club ready to make their move for the 29-year-old.

Calhanoglu has managed four goals and eight assists from Inter‘s midfield in 45 appearances and was an important figure in Inter’s progression into the Champions League final where they will now face Manchester City.

Newcastle will reportedly bid for Calhanoglu if they qualify for the CL

Sitting in the middle of the five-man midfield, Calhanoglu is the anchor that keeps the midfield together for Inter and that’s exactly what Newcastle are looking for, someone who can sit back and let Bruno Guimaraes roam free and pull the creative strings.

He has been described as ‘dangerous‘ and difficult to defend against, and has also been likened to Andrea Pirlo.

The report suggests that should Newcastle secure a Champions League spot they’ll approach Inter with a bid of around £30m-£35million for the Turkey captain.

I have no doubt that Calhanoglu is a quality player but I think Newcastle have better options in their sight for this role. At 29 I feel he’s probably past his peak and is now on the decline, at least compared to other players Newcastle have looked at.

Newcastle have other options in mind for a holding midfielder

Also in contention for Newcastle to fill the holding role are Manuel Ugarte from Sporting and Khephren Thuram from Nice who are both 22 and have a lot more potential. My preference would be Ugarte as his figures for tackles and interceptions this season have been in credible. He’s in the top 1% and 2% respectively in Europe this season.

Granted, both players would be likely to cost more than Calhanoglu, but we will get a lot more out of either of them potentially. Ugarte has a £55million release clause so if the Magpies can justify spending an extra £20million on one player then that’s the one we should go for.

I’d not be opposed to Eddie Howe bringing in Calhanoglu as his experience and talent will be extremely valuable in the next couple of seasons, but thinking long term I’d prefer one of the other options.