OPINION
Newcastle fans should remain hopeful that the club can sign Club Brugge striker Wesley Moraes given the latest transfer report on the player.
Quotes from Moraes’s agent last month [The Laziali] claimed that the Magpies are interested in the 22-year-old, who scored 17 goals in all competitions for his club last season.
Now, Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reports that the Belgian club want at least £26.4million for the striker, which, for a player of his calibre, that is a price tag which is not a million miles away from what Newcastle would be prepared to pay.
The report adds that Brugge have slapped the £26.4million price tag on Moraes’s head after two bids came in for the player – one of £22million from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, and one of £15.8million as well as £2.6million in bonuses from Ajax.
While those two bids – especially the latter one – are quite a way off what Brugge reportedly want to make for the player, Newcastle fans should have hope.
Having broken their transfer record with the signing of Miguel Almiron in the January transfer window, you would not expect current owner Mike Ashley to finance such a move again, given his track record with allowing the club to spend.
However, if the Bin Zayed Group come in and complete their reported takeover [Daily Mail] of the St James’ Park club, then that would free the side of the financial burdens placed under them by Ashley.
More importantly, what it would also do is potentially allow Newcastle to bid £26.4million for Moraes, and test the water.
The report states that Brugge are looking for at least that figure, but there is certainly no harm in trying, especially if the finances are available.
You never know, the new owners – if they do come in – may allow Benitez, or whoever is in charge soon, to spend a bit more.
It is all up in the air for now, but one thing is for sure: Newcastle fans should have hope that this reported target – who would be a great addition – could still be within their grasp.