Newcastle looking to sign ‘special’ 24-year-old attacker who plays for PIF owned club

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Newcastle United are yet to do any business with clubs in Saudi Arabia this month, despite all the debate about Ruben Neves before Christmas.

The midfielder was heavily talked up as a possible signing for Newcastle, as the club came to terms with Sandro Tonali being banned for the rest of the season.

Neves looked like an ideal replacement, and it was speculated that a deal would be easy given that he plays for Al Hilal – who are also owned by PIF.

This led to a bit of backlash, and Premier League clubs voted over a temporary ban on clubs signing players on loan from teams who they share an owner with. However, the vote did not pass, meaning Newcastle were free to bring in Neves or any other player from one of PIF’s other clubs in Saudi Arabia.

That has not happened, and there have been barely any rumours about the Magpies exploiting that loophole.

However, that has now changed.

Newcastle interested in Jota

According to Sportslens, Newcastle are one of two Premier League clubs that are interested in signing Jota from Al Ittihad this month. The other team is West Ham United, who are set to beat Newcastle in the race to sign Kalvin Phillips.

The report from Sportslens states that Jota is looking to secure a move away from the Saudi Pro League club, having joined them in the summer for £25million.

But the attacker’s move to the Middle East has been a disaster, with Jota making just 11 appearances. He was mentioned as a possible Newcastle target late last year, and now he appears to be on Eddie Howe’s radar again.

He could be a decent addition, as Newcastle are in need of attacking reinforcements – and that need will intensify further if Miguel Almiron leaves the club. He has been linked with a move away this month, although it looks like he would rather remain on Tyneside.

If Almiron does stay put, it will surely decrease the likelihood of Newcastle trying to sign Jota. That is a shame, as he is a ‘special‘ player who could add a bit more flair and creativity to a Toon attack that is currently in need of a boost.

If Newcastle do make a move for Jota, it would certainly be controversial. While there are no rules to prevent it, there would be plenty of criticism if Newcastle did do a deal with another PIF owned club.