Newcastle will move for ‘athletic’ Man United player if they can’t get Rice

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Newcastle United have been linked with two big, physical Premier League midfielders – Declan Rice and Scott McTominay.

Both players are on Newcastle‘s radar heading into the summer transfer window, with Eddie Howe keen to add a new defensive midfielder to his squad.

Rice and McTominay both fall into that category, but it is incredibly unlikely that the Magpies make moves to bring both of them to St James’ Park.

Now a new report has provided some insight into what the Toon recruitment team plan to do.

Newcastle to go for McTominay if Rice is a no go

According to the Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Newcastle are interested in signing Rice from West Ham, but their interest is dependent on qualifying for the Champions League.

Delaney writes in his weekly newsletter Reading The Game that if the Magpies are unable to sign the England international then they will turn their attentions to Manchester United’s McTominay.

He adds that the Red Devils are planning to offload multiple players at the end of the season, while he also suggests that West Ham skipper Rice could move clubs for £90million despite reports of a £100million plus fee.

Rice would be a better signing for the Magpies

While McTominay could prove to be a smart addition, most fans would rather see Rice make the move to Tyneside. He is developing into an elite midfielder, and is exactly what Howe is looking for.

Signing Rice would be a real statement of intent, while a deal for McTominay would be underwhelming.

There is no denying that the Scotland international is a talented player. He has all the tools to thrive under Howe, particularly because he is so ‘athletic‘. Toon officials are big fans of the 26-year-old, and have been trying to sign him for a long time now.

But a lot of Newcastle fans would need convincing about McTominay, just like they needed to be convinced about Anthony Gordon. That is not to say McTominay wouldn’t be a good addition, but it is not a transfer that would get hearts racing.

Rice would, but it is going to be incredibly difficult to bring him to Newcastle for multiple reasons.