Report: Newcastle ready £21m bid for 'hero' who's played alongside Kieran Trippier 68 times

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Newcastle United have reportedly prepared a £21million bid for Atletico Madrid left-back Renan Lodi.

This is according to Tuttomercatoweb, who claim the Magpies will be up against Juventus for the 24-year-old’s services.

Newcastle are all-but safe in the Premier League and the new Magpies owners will surely be casting an eye to the summer transfer window.

Matt Targett has done well on loan at Newcastle and TEAMtalk reckons Eddie Howe is likely to sign him permanently.

However, the report suggests Howe will want top-class competition for the Aston Villa loanee.

Back to Tuttomercatoweb, Juve have apparently put Lodi ‘in their sights’, but the situation ‘appears to be getting complicated’.

This is because Newcastle are ‘strongly’ interested in the Brazilian, ‘the first name’ on their wishlist at left-back.

Indeed, the Magpies have reportedly readied a €25million (£21million) bid for Lodi.

Can Newcastle land ‘unexpected hero’?

Lodi began his career at Athletico Paranaense in Brazil before moving to Spain in July 2019.

Atletico reportedly paid £19.5million for his services, as per Transfermarkt.

Lodi has made 116 appearances for Los Colchoneros and shared a pitch with Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier 68 times.

The Brazilian won the La Liga title last season, and also lifted a Copa Sudamericana in 2018.

This season, Lodi netted the winning goal in their 1-0 Champions League last-16 second leg triumph at Manchester United in March.

His goal meant that they won 2-1 on aggregate, enabling them to reach the quarter-finals. Marca labelled him an ‘unexpected hero’ after the game.