Newcastle United are not interested in a striking a deal for Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia in the coming days, according to the Chronicle.
The regional newspaper report that a source at St. James’ Park has rubbished reports linking the club with a potential loan swoop for the 33-year-old in a major update on the situation.
The Chronicle claim that the Magpies do instead remain in talks with Monaco over a deal for 23-year-old defender Antonio Barreca.
OPINION
A move for Newcastle to sign Valencia this month did seem like one which made sense, with the Magpies desperately in need of reinforcements at both full-back and in attack. The 33-year-old may be getting on a bit but he is an experienced operator in both defence and attack, and would have been able to provide quality cover in both positions. As it is, it looks like the Magpies will not be making such a move, and are obviously focused on other targets. Barreca is a name that is being mentioned a lot, and the young Italian flyer looks like he could be a shrewd acquisition. Newcastle will have to work quickly if they want to add more than just the 23-year-old before the end of the window, with just four days remaining. Manager Rafa Benitez is obviously resigned to that fact, but that does not mean the club can’t pull a surprise deal out the hat from somewhere in the closing moments of the market.
