Newcastle United are tracking AC Milan utility man Diego Laxalt this summer, according to journalist Nicolo Schira.
The Calcio Mercato reporter revealed the news on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, claiming that the Magpies are the foreign team taking a look at the Uruguay international.
The 26-year-old can play anywhere along the left hand side of the pitch, and Schira asserts that he is currently valued at £10.7million.
Italian sides Torino and Atalanta are also thought to be in the hunt for the former Genoa man.
In uscita dal #Milan c'è sempre Diego #Laxalt: in Italia piace a #Torino e #Atalanta, mentre all'estero occhio al ritorno di fiamma del #Newcastle, che ci aveva già provato a gennaio. Valutazione 12 milioni. #calciomercato
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) June 15, 2019
OPINION
Laxalt is someone whose name has been connected with Newcastle for some time now. He is a versatile player who excelled with Genoa before his move to Milan, but who has never really kicked on for the Rossoneri. Newcastle are likely going to need to sign someone at left back this summer, and Laxalt can play in that position, although he is more of a traditional left midfielder than a full back. That would make him almost identical to Matt Ritchie, who is already at the club and did a sterling job as a left wing back this season. However, it’s unknown whether the Magpies will continue with the five man defence they operated with this term next time out, which would probably see Ritchie miss out on a spot in the starting line up. Would Laxalt get the starting spot at left back? That remains to be seen. However, he is a versatile player and his price tag isn’t outrageous, so this could be a decent move for Newcastle.
