OPINION
Newcastle United could be handed a boost in their bid to sign Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Nemanja Gudelj this summer with him reportedly set to hold talks about his future at the Chinese Super League club.
According to Portuguese newspaper Record, the 27-year-old will discuss his future with Guangzhou chiefs on Wednesday as he aims to quit the Chinese club and make himself available on a free transfer.
It is understood that Gudelj’s £77,000-a-week contract expires at the end of December and after spending last season on loan at Sporting CP, he is now looking to move on earlier than what was originally agreed.
Although Record reports that Gudelj wants to stay at Sporting, O Jogo claimed earlier this week that Newcastle hold an interest in the Serbia international.
Newcastle are in a period of uncertainty at the moment with a potential takeover on the cards as well as Rafa Benitez’s contract coming to an end later this month. However the Magpies are still clearly trying to press on with their transfer business by eyeing up targets like Gudelj.
Whether Benitez and Mike Ashley stay or not, the Tyneside club could need to revamp their midfield before next season kicks off as Isaac Hayden has made his desire to leave St James’ Park public [Daily Mail] while Mohamed Diame is set to be released when his contract expires [Newcastle’s official website].
Hayden and Diame are two midfielders who are more defensively-minded and Gudelj would no doubt be a great replacement on both of them.
Last season, the ex-Ajax player completed 88.7 per cent of his passes in Liga NOS while he also averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.0 interception and 1.5 clearances per match [WhoScored].
In comparison, Hayden only completed 79.4 per cent of his passes but did look better defensively as he averaged 2.9 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.1 clearances in his Premier League outings.
Gudelj’s defensive stats are not much lower than Hayden’s and the Serbian midfielder was playing for a team that finished third in the league while Newcastle battled against relegation for most of the campaign and had less of the ball.
Newcastle ended last season with 42.9 per cent possession of the ball while Sporting CP ended the campaign with 54.7 per cent.
If Gudelj played for a team that saw less of the ball he would surely be matching, if not improving on, the numbers that Hayden got last season.
As he would be available for free then he’s definitely someone that would attract Newcastle because of his strong performances while on loan at Sporting CP and because he can replace players who are looking as though they’re leaving.
The fact that Gudelj wants to leave Guangzhou and will bring it up in a meeting on Wednesday will surely be seen as a boost for Newcastle in their reported pursuit of the midfielder.
If he does not end up leaving the Chinese club then the Magpies should definitely keep tabs on the player until his contract expires in December in time for the January window opening.
