Newcastle United on alert as Chelsea make opening £8.5m bid for Eddie Howe target

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Eddie Howe needs fresh faces for Newcastle United’s right wing.

The January transfer window has been fairly disappointing from an arrivals perspective on Tyneside. Only one player has signed for Newcastle in the transfer window, 17-year-old Kyle Fitzgerald from Galway United.

Eddie Howe wanted to improve Newcastle’s attack in January, but that doesn’t look like it will happen now. The feeling around the club is that Newcastle will only buy if injuries come to light.

It does not look like that will be a problem at the moment given how happy Howe is with Newcastle’s performance director James Bunce. The Magpies’ injury list is significantly shorter in comparison to how it looked at the same time last season.

Newcastle are preparing for Miguel Almiron’s departure in the coming days. The 30-year-old is set for a return to Atlanta United, the club he joined Newcastle from.

His departure means Howe is well and truly down to the bare bones on that side of attack. Jacob Murphy is in fine form but he is the only natural right-wing option at Newcastle’s disposal. Howe would usually look to Harvey Barnes but he is set to miss the next month of action with a muscle injury.

With a move for a winger being discussed, Chelsea have made the first move to sign a player highly thought of by Newcastle.

Chelsea make opening bid for Yeremay Hernandez

Yeremay Hernandez has caught the eye of several Premier League clubs thanks to his form for La Liga 2 side Deportivo La Coruna.

The 22-year-old has scored eight goals and bagged three assists in 18 games so far this season. The winger has been a shining light for the Spanish side who are sat 17th in the table.

Reports earlier this week suggested that Newcastle were interested in former Real Madrid man Hernandez but faced tough competition for his signature.

Now, according to CaughtOffiside, Chelsea have made an opening bid of £8.5million for Hernandez. A fee they hope will make Deportivo crack.

Hernandez has a €20m (£16.9m), so an improved offer may need to be placed before the Spanish side accepts.

As well as Newcastle and Chelsea, the report suggests that Arsenal and Aston Villa are keeping tabs on the winger.

Both Arsenal and Villa recently sent scouts to watch Deportivo’s games against CD Mirandes and Malaga. They were very impressed with his performance.

Hernandez’s contract doesn’t expire until 2030, so clubs may look to keep tabs on him until the summer at least.

Yeremay Hernandez fits Paul Mitchell’s Newcastle transfer strategy

Newcastle are looking to avoid a repeat of the summer transfer window where they were forced to sell prized young assets to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Sporting director Paul Mitchell has prioritised signing young players from overseas. Hernandez is a stellar example of where this strategy comes into play.

Buying youth from abroad proves to be a lot cheaper than buying domestically. His form is a sign he could hold his own in the Premier League and become Howe’s first-choice right winger for years to come.

His low release clause means the club won’t be breaking the bank either. Newcastle are expected to receive around £10m for Almiron’s sale so they would have most of the funds there to get the deal done.