Newcastle United have been launching regular transfer missions at Portuguese side Sporting CP this season with at least three matches scouted in 2019, according to Scouts in Attendance.
The reliable Twitter account, who provide updates on which clubs are scouting which games, claim that the Magpies have been regular visitors to the Europa League side since the new year, with their latest known visit the 3-0 win over Sporting Braga earlier this month.
#nufc scout watched #scp 3-0 Sporting Braga on 17/2…..that's at least the third time Newcastle have scouted Sporting (Lisbon) in 2019…..previously at Moreirense & Feirense matches#nufc linked to MF Nemanja Gudelj & FW Bas Dost in the past
— Scouts in Attendance (@scoutsattending) February 25, 2019
It is stated that they have been watching on no less than three times this season, stating that the likes of Nemanja Gudelj and Bas Dost have both been reported to be on Newcastle’s radar.
Opinion
Portugal is not a market that Newcastle, or many Premier League sides for that matter, have tapped into in comparison with other top flight divisions across Europe – and so maybe Rafael Benitez is looking to steal a march on his rivals by snapping up the top talent from the country. There is obviously someone who the Spanish boss and his transfer team like the look of at Sporting – you do not send scouts on a regular basis if you do not have a player in your sights – and there are plenty of candidates who could do a job at improving the Newcastle squad. Of course, the Magpies’ transfer future is up in the air alongside the future of Benitez, whose contract runs out at the end of the season. Without a definitive decision on the Spaniard’s future, the club cannot get moving on their transfer business. There is quite clearly one or two players that Benitez feels he would like but the real issue is whether he stays or not.