According to Caught Offside, Newcastle United are one of the clubs holding talks to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Marco Asensio this January.
The Magpies continued their unbeaten run in the Premier League with another victory against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, putting themselves in an enviable position.
Newcastle have completed an incredible U-turn in form recently, winning their last five league outings in a row and progressing to the Carabao Cup semi-final over the last six weeks, but there is still plenty of work to be done if they are in with a chance of European qualification or lifting a trophy this season.
The North East giants will head to the Emirates on Tuesday night for their first leg of the semi-final in the cup, though they will be without Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes through booking-related bans, the return of Sven Botman this weekend will give the Geordies hope of a quality performance.
Not only do Newcastle have a season-defining month ahead of them on the pitch, the January transfer window is now open for business and after a troubling summer of business, there will be expectations that Paul Mitchell could get some business done to strengthen the squad ahead of the business end of the campaign.
A right-winger is widely reported as the top priority for Newcastle during the four-week window, however, it would not be surprising to see the club return to the market for a defender too, after failing to tie down a new addition with their pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi last summer.
Eddie Howe has reiterated on several occasions that incomings will only likely be completed if they can sell players to comply with their financial fair play obligations, and reports continue to be widespread about Miguel Almiron’s future.
The forward has seen a significant drop in game time at St James’ Park this season, with MLS club Charlotte FC being named as potential suitors for the Paraguayan to change the trajectory of his career.
Caught Offside are reporting that Paris Saint-Germain winger Marco Asensio could be the man to replace Almiron on Tyneside, as the publication claims that Newcastle are one of the clubs actively in talks to sign him during the January transfer window.
The report has revealed that Aston Villa are also monitoring Asensio’s situation over in France, as the former Real Madrid star is willing to consider an exit this month.
It is further noted that PSG will listen to offers of between €25m-€30m (£21m-£25m) for the Spaniard.
Should Newcastle sign Marco Asensio?
There is no doubt that experience and quality is desperately needed in the depths of the Newcastle squad, especially if they continue to keep up their form leading to qualification of European football and potentially Champions League again.
Asensio would bring a strong winning mentality to St James’ Park and the confidence formed by a wealth of experience playing at the highest level in European football, winning three Champions League titles in his career so far.
Over 11 Ligue 1 appearances this season so far, the 28-year-old star – once hailed “immense” by former teammate Fede Valverde – has scored two goals, registered four assists and created seven big chances, as well as averaging 1.5 key passes, 1.4 shots on target and 25.5 accurate passes per game, which is an impressive output considering he is only averaging 53 minutes per performance.
Indeed, the Spain international would not be the ideal long-term solution to replace Almiron and it would be advantageous to acquire the services of a younger talent to complete the attacking threat, however, the experience that Asensio brings would be unrivalled.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle bite the bullet on Asensio in the coming weeks, as he could be an incredible asset not only on the pitch but in the dressing room too if the dreams of European football become reality next season.
