Champions League giants join Newcastle United & Liverpool in race to sign £34m midfielder
Newcastle lead the race for talented Leicester City superplayers
The Magpies face competition from several of Europe’s biggest clubs for one of European football’s brightest prospects.
Newcastle United reportedly face increased competition for Celta Vigo’s highly-rated midfielder Gabri Veiga.
The Spain Under-21 star is said to be a target for a whole host of European football’s biggest clubs after rising to prominence with the La Liga club over the last 18 months. After making a handful of appearances over the previous two campaigns, the 21-year-old really made his mark last season by scoring 11 goals and providing four assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.
Despite the appointment of Rafa Benitez, Veiga is not expected to be at the Estadio de Balaídos next season after he received glowing reports from scouts representing the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea, who are said to be targeting the midfielder as a replacement for Mason Mount after he joined Manchester United on Wednesday.
However, former Magpies manager Benitez has now claimed the attacking midfielder could remain at Celta and revealed he is ‘counting’ on Veiga for the new season.
He said: “We are talking about an important player, who comes from the academy, and I would be delighted to have him continue with us. It would be exciting for everyone, and I will try to improve him as much as possible if he continues with us. I like him a lot, he’s a great player and I’m counting on him.”
Benitez’s resolve could be severely tested after The Guardian revealed Paris Saint-Germain have joined the race for Veiga’s signature and are ‘ready’ to add the youngster to their star-studded squad. The Ligue 1 giants would have to trigger a £34million clause in his contract after Celta president Carlos Mourino revealed he would not allow his prize asset to depart for anything less.
Speaking last month, he said: “We don’t want to sell under any circumstances but they are going to buy Veiga from us. We know some of the offers, we wouldn’t be able to pay him what other teams do. Gabri has Celta’s feelings and will always have the doors open but it will depend exclusively on him and what they are offering him is irresistible. He will decide where he wants to go but that club will have to pay the clause.
“Of the top 10 teams in the Premier League, four have asked. For us, it’s not for sale. We refer to the clause. We have nothing to negotiate with anyone.”
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An update has emerged on Liverpool’s plans to add another central defender to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign…
Is Marc Guehi joining Liverpool?
According to Football Insider, the Reds are now eyeing a swoop for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window, as FSG attempt to further bolster Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The report claims that they are ready to battle it out with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United to land the England international’s signature in the coming we
However, it is also stated that the Eagles are set to demand a fee in the region of £60m and that their current asking price makes a deal difficult for teams to complete.
How good is Marc Guehi?
‘We need to sign him, Newcastle are serious about Leicester Superstars’
The 22-year-old is a right-footed central defender who could come in to compete with the likes of Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konate for a spot at the back.
His arrival could allow Klopp to brutally ditch Nat Phillips, who he previously hailed as “insane”, from the squad this summer, amid interest in his services from Dutch side Feyenoord.
Reporter James Pearce recently Tweeted: “Dutch champions Feyenoord are interested in Nat Phillips, who is valued by LFC at around £10m.”
The German head coach must take advantage of the Eredivisie team’s desire to sign the defender by green-lighting his exit before signing Palace’s Guehi as the 26-year-old’s replacement.
Phillips only made two Premier League appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, with an average Sofascore rating of 6.85, and was sent out on loan to Bournemouth in the Championship for the second half of the 2021/22 season.
His lack of game time last term coupled with the manager’s willingness to send him to the second tier of English football suggests that there is no immediate plan for him to be involved as a regular in the first-team.
At the age of 26, now could be the perfect time to cash in on Phillips as he has been unable to develop to a point where Klopp is comfortable with him playing week-in-week-out at Anfield.
The signing of Guehi would allow the boss to sanction an exit as the Palace battler is a proven Premier League performer who could come in to compete with the current first-choice options.
Last season, the ex-Chelsea prospect averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 across 37 league appearances and won 63% of his individual duels, which shows that the English titan can dominate opposition attackers by winning the majority of his physical contests.
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