Journalist Keith Downie has claimed that he would be surprised if Thorgan Hazard was to sign for Newcastle United this summer.
There have been reports in Germany stating Hazard is on the radar of Newcastle this summer, with a proposed deal being valued around £12.9m if the Magpies were to bring him to St James’ Park.
Hazard had a frustrating season last term, where he struggled with injuries that meant he missed large chunks of games, however, he did finish the season on 30 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, where he netted six times and got one assist.
Despite Hazard being linked with a move to Newcastle, Downie claimed whilst speaking with GiveMeSport that he would be surprised if the deal was to go through because of his age, with Eddie Howe trying to get the average age of the squad down.
He said: “The only thing that I’d be surprised about would be his age.
“I think he’s 29, and I know Eddie Howe is trying to get the age [of the squad] down.
“He actually said that towards the end of the season as most of the players he brought in in January were getting on a little bit.”
Would you be happy with Hazard at Newcastle?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on Downie’s comments…
Although the Magpies have spent nearly £50m on Matt Targett and Sven Botman, they are yet to strengthen their squad in an attacking sense, so the next signing that Howe might want to bring to St James’ Park could be someone who can contribute more to goals.
Hazard will be 30 years old next year, so that may be in the back of Howe’s mind when deciding whether to pursue signing him, as he might want to sign players that can be part of the long-term future of the club to save investing on talents every few years who may be past their peak.
That said, the Belgian certainly has his admirers, with former Dortmund manager Marco Rose hailing the winger as ‘a blessing for the coach’ and ‘an excellent footballer’ – so while there may only be short-term gains, there’s no reason why this transfer may not work out if the Toon follow through on their reported interest.