Newcastle United are not interested in signing Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro, according to Shields Gazette reporter Miles Starforth.
In a new update, the reliable journalist has taken to his personal Twitter account to counter claims by Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato that Sturaro, 25, is edging closer to a £12.3million move to St James’ Park this summer with Juve trying to convince him to accept the offer to move to the Premier League.
Understand that Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro is not one of Newcastle's summer targets. #nufc
— Miles Starforth (@milesstarforth) July 4, 2018
However it now seems that Sturaro is not even a target for Rafa Benitez this summer as he continues to make plans for the 2018/19 season.
OPINION
Newcastle fans should be relieved to hear this because Sturaro does not seem that great really. Yes, he plays for Juventus and the thought of signing someone from one of Europe’s top clubs is enough to send some fans into meltdown, but in reality, he’s not their best player and it seems that Italian media are just trying stir the pot for him to leave Turin this summer. Newcastle may need to add some depth to their midfield options in the coming weeks, especially if Mikel Merino leaves as he has been linked with leaving the club for quite some time. Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame did a solid job together last term so it’s not exactly a priority for Benitez to spend big on a midfielder he doesn’t need. He needs strikers before anything else because his current options did not score enough goals for the club in 2017/18.