Newcastle are planning to submit a club-record £26.4million bid for CSKA Moscow right-back Mario Fernandes, according to the Daily Mirror.
The newspaper claims that the 28-year-old Russian international, who chipped in with one goal and nine assists for the Russian side last season, is viewed as an impressive replacement for Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin at St James’ Park.
The Mirror adds that while Atletico Madrid are also interested in Fernandes, the Magpies believe the offer of Premier League football could instead lure him to England.
Should the deal be done, Newcastle will break their current transfer record of £21million, which was spent to bring Miguel Almiron to the club in January.
Good move for Newcastle?
This would be a fantastic move for Newcastle. The modern full-back is required to get up and down the pitch and have a hand in the team’s creativity, and nine assists for Fernandes proves that he fits the bill perfectly. The Mirror report is right – the 28-year-old would certainly be an upgrade on Yedlin and Manquillo, while his ability to have a hand in goals maybe means that he could – on occasion – replace outgoing winger Kenedy if he was signed. Overall, this is definitely a move Newcastle should look to broker.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It’s a big-money move, especially for Newcastle, and we’re not certain Magpies boss Rafael Benitez will be able to splash this amount of money at one player. It’s no secret that a key assurance the Spaniard is looking for in talks with Mike Ashley is one that will allow him to challenge the club’s current transfer policy, so if the manager gets his way, who knows what could happen. Any transfer that breaks the club record could not be called ‘likely’ though when it comes to Newcastle.
This is Futbol rating: 4/10