According to Sport Lens, Newcastle United scouts will be sent to watch Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica this evening, and Viktor Gyokeres is said to be a target.
Newcastle United will host Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon after securing their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Blackburn Rovers earlier this week.
Eddie Howe will be feeling relieved that the side could get over the line in the end at Ewood Park and will be hoping that the victory will inject a much-needed confidence boost in the squad for the upcoming fixtures.
It has been a real struggle for the Magpies this season, with injuries constantly plaguing the availability of many first-team players and some have suffered multiple spells on the sidelines, which will have been extremely frustrating for Howe as the lack of squad depth has been costly for progression in every competition.
The summer transfer window will present an opportunity to reflect on the season and what will be needed to compete at a higher level in the next campaign, and adding depth to several crucial roles on the pitch will be absolutely imperative.
It looks like the club are getting prepared to make a shortlist of talent that they would like to acquire, as the club has sent out scouts to watch the cup final between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica this evening, with previously linked target Viktor Gyokeres set to start.
According to Sport Lens, Newcastle are one of the many Premier League clubs who have sent scouts to the clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea representatives also touted to be in attendance too.
Should Newcastle sign Viktor Gyokeres?
There is no doubt that Newcastle will be keen to sign a centre forward this season, as both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have suffered multiple injury issues that has seen the side without a striker for large chunks of the season so far.
Wilson – who turned 32 this week – is currently recovering from pectoral surgery, but has a long history of injury issues over his career and should not be considered as a long-term solution to partner Isak.
Isak has suffered reoccurring groin issues but returned to action a few weeks ago which has been a massive boost to the starting eleven and given Anthony Gordon the freedom to return to his wider role.
However, as a player who is consistently picking up niggles, it would make sense to bring in a prolific striker who can share the load.
As a result, the signing of Gyokeres would make perfect sense for Newcastle, as he is very familiar with Isak and shares a similar style of play due to their time together in the Sweden international team.
Over 21 Liga Portugal appearances, the 25-year-old has scored 17 goals, registered eight assists and created eight big chances, as well as averaging 1.8 key passes, 3.2 shots on goal, 2.3 successful dribbles, and a whopping 7.3 duels won per game, as per SofaScore.
The only problem with Gyokeres is his price tag, it was claimed back in December that Sporting would expect to receive a fee of £85m for their star striker, which would be almost impossible to imagine given the Financial Fair Play issues the Tyneside outfit has experienced of late.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Newcastle make a move for any of the players on display tonight, but Gyokeres in particular would be a fantastic signing if the price is right.
