Newcastle United are interested in a move for Crystal Palace attacker Jason Puncheon but face a fight to secure his signature, according to the Sun.
The newspaper’s transfer centre (09/08; 9:30) claims that the Englishman could leave Selhurst Park on Thursday, with both Newcastle and North East neighbours Middlesbrough keen on the player.
However any decision on the 32-year-old’s future is dependent on where former Palace man Yannick Bolasie ends up. The DR Congo international has been linked with an Eagles return from Everton, and the assumption is Puncheon will only move on if Bolasie re-signs for Palace.
Newcastle have been pursuing a variety of midfield options throughout this summer’s transfer window, with Puncheon the latest name linked with St James’s Park.
OPINION
This seems like a classic, last minute, deadline day move. Puncheon is a decent Premier League footballer, but he’s 32 years of age and has never been a game breaker. He had a good spell at Southampton and has been decent for Palace, but his best days are firmly behind him. Newcastle can do better than Puncheon, even at this late stage. He has good delivery and would be useful on set pieces, but you get the feeling his pace has gone. How mobile would he be in the Magpies midfield, and how diligently would he carry out his defensive duties? This feels like one of those deals where the player is sold on again in a years time. He would be an extra body for Newcastle though, and the toon army have been craving any sort of transfer news lately. This likely wasn’t what they had in mind, however.
