Newcastle Want to Sign ‘Complete’ Star for Eddie Howe

Newcastle United could be in the market for another defender after their failed ploy to bring Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi to the club over the summer – with Benfica star Tomas Araujo reportedly in their sights as a future transfer target.

The Magpies have struggled defensively in comparison to their 2022/23 campaign in which they boasted the joint-best defence in the top-flight, and with injuries and an ageing back line to contend with, that could well be enough to tempt them into a move for Araujo, who has burst onto the scene over the past 18 months.

Newcastle ‘Working’ on Tomas Araujo Deal

The Benfica star could make the move to Tyneside

The report from Football Insider states that Newcastle are working on a deal to sign Araujo from Benfica in the coming windows, with Eddie Howe’s need for a central defender well known after a failed pursuit of Marc Guehi in the summer transfer window.

Tomas Araujo’s Primeira Liga statistics – Benfica squad ranking
Stats	Output	Squad rank
Minutes Played	713	7th
Assists	1	=6th
Aerial Duels Won Per Game	2.9	3rd
Tackles Per Game	2.3	5th
Interceptions Per Game	1.1	=4th
Match rating	7.23	5th

Howe has been looking to bolster his options, and reports in the week suggested that the Magpies could look to hit the offensive for the England star once again, given his contract situation and Crystal Palace’s poor form in the Premier League.

However, Araujo has broken into the Portugal national team, and having been dubbed ‘complete’, his positive career trajectory has seen become a player to keep an eye on. Football Insider sources have stated that top clubs across Europe are ‘doing their homework’ on the defender, which means that Newcastle have competition.

They will have to pay a high fee to try and sign the Benfica star, with Araujo still having just under four years left on his contract and an insanely high release clause of £84million – which Newcastle are not interested in paying. However, they will continue to keep tabs on him throughout the season – and he is seen as the ‘ideal’ option to bolster Howe’s backline alongside Sven Botman.

The defender has featured in 37 games for Benfica already, including a loan spell at Gil Vicente in 2022/23 which means he’s almost made his 50th Primeira Liga appearance at the age of just 22 – and alongside a first Portugal cap against Croatia earlier this week, it could be the ideal signing for the Magpies to make.