Newcastle United are interested in signing Roma’s Roger Ibanez this summer and he could be available for a cut-price fee.
This summer Newcastle will be looking to add numbers to their squad in order to prepare for challenging in four competitions next season. Often, last season our lack of squad depth was exposed when players picked up injuries and suspensions.
One area where Newcastle look particularly short of quality and depth was centre-back, and that’s why, according to Calcio Mercato, the Magpies are eyeing a move for Brazilian centre-back Roger Ibanez from Roma.
Roma need to raise around £30m this month so could be forced to sell Ibanez
The Italian publication has stated that Roma need to make €30million (£25.8million) before the end of June and one way to do that would be to sell Ibanez and/or Leonardo Spinazzola.
Ibanez is valued at around £30million and with Newcastle, Aston Villa and Tottenham all interested in the 24-year-old, a quick sale shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Roma.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho said Ibanez place in the side was ‘untouchable‘ which is backed up by the fact that he played 48 games for Roma last season including the entire Europa League final which Roma controversially lost on penalties to Sevilla.
Ibanez would be a great addition to Newcastle’s squad
According to FBref, Ibanez is in the top 3% of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions and in the 82nd percentile for tackles. His profile shows a lot of green when compared to the other defenders around Europe which shows that his all-round game is very effective.
Even if Newcastle have to fork out £30million this would be a good investment. He’s young and experienced and would fit into the team nicely behind his Brazilian counterparts, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes.
On paper it looks like an easy deal to do and one that could be tied up quickly if we’re serious about it.
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