Newcastle United are interested in the signing of Ivan Fresneda, according to The Daily Mail.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
The Spanish U19 international is believed to have attracted the interest of Juventus and Arsenal after impressing in La Liga.
Current club Real Valladolid are expected to sell the 18-year-old for around £10m in January and Newcastle are now thought to have expressed their interest in signing the player.
Emil Krath’s long-term injury has left Eddie Howe short a right-back. While Kieran Trippier is unquestionably the first-choice, the options behind the England star don’t look overly convincing, with Javier Manquillo seemingly out of favour.
West Ham youngster Harrison Ashby has been considered and sources have told Nothing but Newcastle that the 21-year-old could be allowed to leave the London Stadium in January, though it appears Fresneda is seen as another option.
Who is Ivan Fresneda?
Born in Madrid, Fresneda started his youth career with Real Madrid before joining Leganes and later moving to Valladolid.
The teenager only made his La Liga debut in January but has since made six League starts, while winning four caps for the Spanish U19 side.
According to FBREF data, the right-back ranks among the leading 92% of full-backs playing across Europe’s top five divisions for interceptions (1.61), clearances (3.39) and tackles (3.71) per game.
Speaking to Futbol Fantasy earlier this month, Valladolid sporting director Fran Sanchez hinted the club would be open to a sale.
“In the end, we have to have the best competitive team possible. And that happens through two things,” he said.
“The first, and most important, is that the team performs so that it stays in La Liga.
“And, the second part which is being able to sell players; allowing the club to continue growing in the shortest possible time. So, if an interesting offer arrives for one of our players, we are always open to listening to it. But also with the intention of not weakening the team.”
Of the player himself, Sanchez said: “Fresneda has exquisite behaviour.
“He is a boy with incredible maturity and on the pitch. He is proving himself to be a first division player.
“At the moment, nothing has arrived. Yes, there are many rumours about teams that are following him, and that some of those are true. But, so far, we have not had any formal offer.
“The most important thing is that he continues on this path of humility, work and learning day by day. If we sell him or not, it depends on the offer.”
What has Eddie Howe said about the January transfer window?
With the upcoming January transfer window expected to be a far more understated on than last year, moving for a younger and slightly cheaper option to improve the options behind a current first-team star makes sense.
Speaking a pre-match press conference on Friday, Howe hinted that’s where his priorities lay.
The Newcastle boss said (via Keith Downie): “With an unlimited budget it’s maybe possible to improve the team, but with FFP looming it’s almost impossible.
“But can we improve the squad, that’s the question? What we don’t want is to handcuff ourselves for future windows.”
