Reports in England suggest that Harvey Barnes is on his way to Newcastle United, but the word in Italy is that the Magpies are still pushing for Federico Chiesa.
The Juventus forward is one of the biggest names on Newcastle’s radar at the moment, with the Magpies recently asking the Italian side for information about the 25-year-old.
Since then, rumours have swirled surrounding Chiesa swapping one black and white shirt for another.
All the noise is coming directly from Italy, and it was claimed last week that Newcastle were planning to step up their interest in the coming days. And a new report, this time from Tutto Juve, suggests that might be the case.
Newcastle ready to offer Juventus £43million for Federico Chiesa
According to Italian outlet Tutto Juve, Newcastle are ready to offer Juventus £43million for Chiesa, and that progress is expected to be made on a deal in the coming days.
A deal worth that amount would make Chiesa the Magpies’ fourth most expensive signing ever, behind Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Alexander Isak.
It is a move that would no doubt delight Newcastle’s latest recruit Tonali, as he knows Chiesa from representing the Italian national team. They rose through the youth ranks together, and are now both senior internationals.
What about Harvey Barnes
But while it would excite Tonali, it would raise doubt over Eddie Howe’s move to sign Barnes. The Leicester City winger appears to be Newcastle’s main target according to the British press, with the club looking to make progress on a deal this week.
It would surely have to be a case for one or the other, and the strength of the rumours suggest that it is more likely to be the Englishman than the Italian.
That might disappoint some fans, as Chiesa is a much bigger name and would be a higher profile addition. In contrast, Barnes is ready to go now. He is proven in the Premier League and would not need to settle in, whereas there is no guarantee that Chiesa would adapt to English football.
However, he is a ‘devastating‘ forward who fans would love to watch inside St James’ Park, so many will hope that the rumours coming out of Italy are true.
But until it is reported by the English media, don’t get your hopes up.
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