Sky pundit explains why ‘the ship looks to have sailed’ for Newcastle to sign 29-goal striker

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Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd believes that “the ship now looks to have sailed” for Newcastle United to sign Glasgow Rangers talisman Alfredo Morelos, according to the Scottish Sun.

Morelos is one of the Scottish Premiership’s standout talents, having weighed in with an impressive 77 goals and 29 assists for Rangers since his move to Ibrox from HJK Helsinki in 2017.

The Colombia international’s goals have helped Rangers climb back into the upper echelons of the Scottish Premiership table and mount title challenges in the past few years.

According to Goal.com, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are all interested in signing the 23-year-old sharpshooter in the summer transfer window.

However, Boyd thinks the Magpies – who are on the verge of a potentially very lucrative takeover – will be aiming higher.

“Morelos, too, has been linked with a move down south,” he told the Scottish Sun. “As well as Leicester, Newcastle, West Ham and Everton have also been mentioned. I’m not certain Morelos is a Rodgers-type player, but I’m sure Leicester could be a good fit.

“Newcastle was certainly an option, but that ship now looks to have sailed. No, they will be targeting players from all the top clubs as they eye domestic and European domination. With the kind of money they will have behind them, nothing less will do.”

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Morelos is a superb player whose goalscoring record is on a par with Celtic counterpart Odsonne Edouard, the two being the standout players in the Scottish Premiership and the most likely to move on to bigger things – 29 goals this season says it all really.

The Colombia international’s disciplinary record is something that needs to be worked on, but it’s nothing that cannot be ironed out through experience and top-notch man-management, something which a newly-wealthy Newcastle could surely provide via top coaches.

Even if the Magpies find themselves with a huge transfer budget, they will probably struggle to sign the absolute top-tier players right from the off, given they will either be playing for, or being wanted by, clubs already competing for titles and playing in the Champions League – so if anything, Morelos might be just the perfect target.