There is not much in the links between Newcastle United and Lyon’s attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.
Several sources have credited Newcastle with an interest in the highly-rated 24-year-old, but it now seems as though they are focusing their attention on alternative targets.
What is the latest news involving Paqueta?
According to The Chronicle, the St. James’ Park outfit are eager to raid Lyon once again following the successful acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes in January.
It’s claimed that Paqueta, who is a close friend of compatriot Guimaraes and recently visited him in England, has a £58 million price tag after successfully reviving his career in Ligue 1.
And The Times have provided an update on Newcastle’s pursuit of the Brazil international, claiming they are prepared to try their luck with a £50m offer after he emerged as a ‘major target’ for manager Eddie Howe.
However, a formal bid is yet to arrive for Paqueta, and with The Telegraph claiming Howe will only receive a transfer budget of £90m, it remains to be seen if he’s willing to commit such a large chunk of it to one player.
What has Talbot said about Paqueta?
Newcastle have also been linked to fellow Samba star Renan Lodi of Atletico Madrid, but Talbot doesn’t believe there’s a connection between their Brazilian targets and isn’t ‘sure’ there’s much genuine interest in Paqueta.
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He told GiveMeSport: “You look at clubs like Wolves, and they have the sort of Portuguese contingency, but that’s sort of representative of the people they talk to.
With Newcastle, there’s no link really with these Brazilians, it just so happens that they are looking at them. I’m not sure there’s much to the Paqueta one, I’m told.”
Who could Newcastle sign?
A recent report in The Telegraph claims Newcastle have moved on from targets such as Christopher Nkunku, Darwin Nunez and Kalvin Phillips as they seek moves to clubs in the Champions League.
Instead, Howe’s charges now see Leeds United’s Jack Harrison as a viable alternative to improve their options in the final third of the pitch.
The same outlet also suggests that the Magpies could revive their interest in January target Sven Botman as his proposed move from Lille to AC Milan continues to drag on.
Meanwhile, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brentford’s Ivan Toney are believed to be on the Newcastle hierarchies radar, with a new number nine high up on their wish list.
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