Report: Club awaiting Newcastle final offer for 'unbelievable' £34m attacker; Howe doesn't want to miss out

Earlier this summer, speculation emerged linking Newcastle United with Braga prodigy Roger Fernandes.

Now, reports from Portugal have provided an update on the state of play between the Magpies and the attacker.

A Bola – via Sport Witness – have claimed that Braga are awaiting a ‘final offer’ from Newcastle for Fernandes.

The Magpies have reportedly ‘guaranteed’ they’d outbid all other suitors for the 16-year-old.

In addition, Newcastle have apparently agreed to let the player stay in Portugal one more year.

It’s said Eddie Howe’s side see the winger as ‘a player they don’t want to miss out on’.

However, Atletico Madrid are reportedly in pursuit of Fernandes too.

Diego Simeone’s club could apparently make an offer ‘in the coming days’.

The report goes on to discuss Atletico’s main arguments in the negotiations.

Apparently, they could offer three players in the deal.

One of them would arrive on loan, and two would move permanently.

The newspaper, however, points out Newcastle are the club who could ‘answer with numbers’.

The Magpies reportedly seem more prepared to get closer to the player’s €40m (£34m) release clause.

“Something special”

Fernandes has already made 11 senior appearances for Braga, despite his young age.

And he has also netted three goals.

In November last year, then Braga manager Carlos Carvalhal spoke to Sky Sports about Fernandes.

“One day, I had a problem with my left winger Galeno,” said the former Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday boss.

“And so I went to those responsible for the academy and asked if they had a player in this position.

“They said, ‘Coach, I want you to see this boy.’ So I brought him up to play in a friendly game.

“When doing my analysis notes after the game to correct the boy, there was something that I did not understand.

“This boy was doing everything that we had requested for this position.

“I wanted to correct something but I had nothing. Absolutely zero.

“It was unbelievable. I know football. This is not normal.

“I asked him the next day, ‘Where did you learn this? Who taught you? This is a complex position.’

“He told me that he watched all of Braga’s games.

“And when he had been told that he would play as a left winger, he spent all that day watching videos of Galeno.

“He had studied his movements in the offensive phase, defensive phase and the transition.

“Wow. At 15 years old, this was something special.

“The modern young player does not like to watch full games but this boy had done all that he could to learn this position.”