According to Le Provence via Sport Witness, Newcastle United are one of the clubs interested in signing Marseille forward Luis Henrique this summer.
Newcastle are still in contention to qualify for the Champions League ahead of next season, and if they can achieve this, it will surely be an exciting summer transfer window for the Carabao Cup winners.
The St James’ Park faithful have been living the dream since their victory over Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, celebrating their first major trophy in seven decades.
However, there are still nine games left of the Premier League season and a huge opportunity to upgrade their confirmed Conference League qualification to compete on the most elite European stage in the Champions League.
The Magpies are currently seventh in the top flight ahead of their clash with Leicester City tonight, but taking all three points from the King Power Stadium would put them back in fifth ahead of Manchester City after the Sky Blues drew in the Manchester Derby yesterday.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell will be expected to add depth and quality to the first-team squad over the summer, especially with European football confirmed for next season.
A right winger and defensive depth have been sounded out as the priority for Newcastle to address, but depth all over the pitch will be warmly welcomed in their ambitions to confidently progress and add more silverware.
French news outlet La Provence (via Sport Witness) are reporting that the North East giants are one of the clubs that are interested in signing Marseille forward Luis Henrique, but will have competition for his signature.
Premier League peers Nottingham Forest are interested in the Brazilian, alongside Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich and Italian giants Inter Milan, with Marseille expected to want around £30m to part ways with the player.
Should Newcastle sign Luis Henrique?
There is no doubt that adding to attacking threat would be massively advantageous for Newcastle in their pursuit for success and finding the right profiles of player will be absolutely crucial.
The 23-year-old Brazilian is extremely versatile in his positioning earning experience playing on both the left and right wing, with the latter being his most played position this season for the Ligue 1 club, which is an area Newcastle are desperate to improve.
Jacob Murphy has been a cult hero for the Geordies in recent seasons but as the only out-and-out right winger at the club since Miguel Almiron’s departure, the 3o-year-old is rarely rotated when his performances aren’t consistent to a high quality.
Over 28 Ligue 1 appearances, Henrique has scored seven goals, registered five assists and created nine big chances, as well as averaging 1.7 key passes, 52.1 touches and 1,5 successful dribbles per game.
Not only that, the talented forward ranks in the top 6% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions, non-penalty goals and successful take-ons per 90 minutes played.
Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi has lavished praise on the impressive winger, claiming that Henrique is a “complete” player:
“He is having a fantastic season. He shows us that he is a complete player, with or without the ball. In terms of finishing, he scores goals. He is young and has to be determined to keep improving. He is one of the most important players for OM.”
If the £30m price tag is accurate, this could be a fantastic piece of business for Newcastle in their efforts to reinvest across several positions on the pitch without paying over the odds to do so.
Henrique has good experience and is a proven goal contributing forward in a top European league, so there is no reason why he wouldn’t be a great fit for the Magpies if they can beat off the tough competition they face to sign him this summer.
