Report: If ‘extraordinary’ player is available for £34m, Newcastle will almost certainly make move to sign him

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Newcastle United are exploring the possibility of moving for Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta, with the Northern Echo reporting that the club are investigating whether his asking price has been slashed.

Recent reports suggest Paqueta could be available for as little as £34 million this summer as the French side want to reward him for his service to the club.

The Magpies do face competition from Mikel Arteta’s side however, and new signing Gabriel Jesus could be a ‘big factor’ in Arsenal’s attempts to land Pauqeta.

But if the ‘extraordinary’ Brazilian is available for a cut-price fee, then Eddie Howe’s side will apparently enter the race to sign him.

Newcastle will make move to sign Paqueta

The Northern Echo reports that Newcastle are currently investigating the rumours that Lyon have slashed their asking price for Paqueta.

The report states that the Magpies have been long-term admirers of the Brazilian midfielder and had previously ruled out a move earlier in the summer due to Lyon’s £68m asking price.

But if the Ligue 1 side have actually changed their asking price then Newcastle will make their move to sign Paqueta, the report claims.

The creative midfielder enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Lyon last season and has attracted interest from a host of clubs as a result.

Paqueta scored 11 goals and assisted seven times for the French club in all competitions. After joining from AC Milan back in 2020, the South American has been superb in Ligue 1.

Newcastle found great success by bringing in Pauqeta’s former teammate Bruno Guimaraes back in January. The Brazilian played a pivotal part in helping Howe’s side avoid relegation last season.

And it looks like the Magpies are keen on bringing Guimaraes’ compatriot to Tyneside for a possible midfield partnership.

TBR’s View: Paqueta is a no-brainer at that price, but Newcastle will face stiff competition

If a player of Paqueta’s quality is actually available for £34m, then Newcastle will undoubtedly try to sign him. But if that is the case, there will be many other top teams in Europe who will be interested.

Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with the South American so Howe will face tough competition to sign him.

If they did manage to get a deal done, he would be a brilliant coup for Newcastle. He’s played with Guimaraes before so they could strike an excellent partnership in midfield.