Newcastle reportedly approaching £68m star Alisson called a 'great player', fans should be buzzing - TBR View

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Newcastle United may be in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle, but long-term, things are looking bright.

The St James’ Park outfit’s long-awaited takeover by a Saudi-led consortium effectively makes them the richest football club in the world.

As a result, the Magpies could well compete for the type of players who some of the more established elite clubs are after.

According to reports in Portugal, Porto’s Luis Diaz is now on Newcastle’s radar.

A Bola claims the Magpies have joined Tottenham and Liverpool in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Meanwhile, Sport TV – via Marca – claims Newcastle are preparing to trigger his release clause.

A report from a separate site, SAPO Desporto, claim Porto wanted as much as £68million for Diaz in the summer.

Magpies fans should be buzzing about the prospect of signing the Porto winger, as he is a top player.

Newcastle target Diaz – the story so far

Diaz began his football journey in his native Colombia, joining Barranquilla-based Atletico Junior in 2016 after a trial period.

His new club assigned him to farm team Barranquilla FC for a year before promoting him to the Junior first team.

In July 2019, Diaz joined Porto on a five-year contract, and he made his debut in August against Krasnodar in the Champions League.

Diaz has made 108 competitive appearances for Porto to date, registering 32 goals and 14 assists.

He has also won 29 caps for Colombia, scoring seven goals, and helped his side finish third in this year’s Copa America.

Diaz’s style of play

The 4th Official wrote the following about Diaz when Spurs were reportedly eyeing him this summer.

“A left-winger by trade, Diaz is primarily known for his dynamic style of play.

“His ability to take on defenders, beating them effortlessly is a particular help when it comes to squeezing through tight spaces.

“However, what makes Diaz such a good ball-carrier is the physical strength that allows him to hold on to possession.

“He also has a knack for scoring goals, though he does lack the skill when it comes to crossing the ball into the box.”

Alisson Becker seal of approval

Diaz is also earning praise amongst his peers.

Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker praised him ahead of the Selecao’s World Cup qualifier with Colombia in October.

“Luis Diaz is a great player,” AS quotes him as saying ahead of the game, which finished 0-0.

“He creates a lot of work for defences, he did it in the Copa America scoring goals.

“At Porto, he delivers good performances.

“Here our job is to see Colombia as a whole and worry about how we should nullify them, create options and achieve a positive result.”