Newcastle United and Serie A side Lazio are in pole position to sign Club Brugge striker Wesley Moraes this summer, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper report that Newcastle along with Lazio are thought to be the only potential destinations for Moraes next season, barring any unexpected approaches from another side.
Moraes is thought to be leaving Club Brugge this summer, after an impressive season with the forward scoring 14 goals in 35 games for the Belgian club, and it is believed that the Brazilian will make a decision on who to join based on the quality of life provided by the city of the club, and the potential to challenge for silverware.
There is believed to have been interest in the striker from West Ham and Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, but neither club is thought to have been successful in their attempts to secure a deal with Moraes, who could potentially be available for around £16million this summer.
OPINION
It will be interesting to see who manages to convince Moraes to join them this summer, with the striker’s options appearing to now be between Newcastle and Lazio. The Brazilian has had an excellent individual season with Club Brugge and now it seems likely that he will be leaving to join of Europe’s major league clubs. However, for Newcastle to convince him to join them they will probably need to find a swift resolution to Rafa Benitez’s future, with keeping the Spaniard at St James’ Park probably crucial for the Magpies to sign Moraes. The forward is believed to be wanting to move to a club capable of challenging for silverware, which is something that Newcastle have struggled to do in the domestic cup competitions. Lazio meanwhile have already shown their ability to just that, by winning the Coppa Italia this season with a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the final. However, the prospect of playing in the Premier League might be enough to convince Moraes to join Newcastle this summer.
