Newcastle United have got plenty of relegated Premier League players on their radar heading into the summer transfer window, and now yet another Southampton player is being linked with a move to the Magpies.
Eddie Howe‘s side have been credited with an interest in captain James Ward-Prowse, while Romeo Lavia has also been named as a possible target for Newcastle.
Now a third Southampton midfielder is being touted as a potential signing – Carlos Alcaraz.
Newcastle watching Carlos Alcaraz after Southampton relegation
According to TalkSPORT, Newcastle have been watching Alcaraz ahead of the summer transfer window. That is despite the fact he only joined Southampton at the start of the year.
The 20-year-old arrived in January, costing £12million from Racing Club. And while he was unable to keep Southampton in the Premier League, he did impress during his first six months in England football.
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Alcaraz ended the campaign with 21 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing two assists. Interestingly, three of those appearances came against Newcastle, and his first start for the Saints actually came against Howe’s side back in January.
He showed real tenacity on that occasion, and has been described as ‘very aggressive‘ by his now former manager Ruben Selles. That aggression could see him fit in at St James’ Park, where Howe has built a team of battlers who will not roll over. His team fights for everything, and Alcaraz also boasts that quality.
TalkSPORT believe that Southampton will lose the Argentine this summer, but Newcastle are the only club mentioned as a possible destination. However, pundit Owen Hargreaves has predicted that the ‘fantastic’ youngster could join one of the Premier League’s top teams.
“He’ll probably go to a top-six side, Carlos Alcaraz. The only one who had an impact from January was Alcaraz, he is fantastic,” he said.
Newcastle fall into that category, having come fourth in the 2022/23 Premier League. That means we will be in next season’s Champions League, which could make a move to St James’ Park very appealing for someone like Alcaraz, who can do better than the Championship.