Newcastle could now agree a deal to sign a player Steve Nickson has tracked for years – and on a free transfer.
The Magpies have been in the headlines recently after a late scramble to raise funds to satisfy the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) – which surprisingly saw Elliot Anderson join Nottingham Forest in a £35m deal.
While the June 30th deadline for PSR has now passed, there is still a need for Newcastle to be financially prudent – and an interesting market opportunity has now arisen…
Newcastle could sign Gabriel Barbosa for free
A story from the Chronicle in December 2021 claimed that Newcastle were looking at a deal to sign Gabriel Barbosa.
In that story, it was also mentioned that Steve Nickson – Head of Recruitment at Newcastle – had tracked the Brazilian since 2018, and had also made several trips to South America to scout the striker.
Talk about Barbosa joining Newcastle eventually went cold after £63m was spent to sign Alexander Isak, although recent talks with Everton regarding Dominic Calvert-Lewin suggest Eddie Howe still wants another striker signed this summer.
Now, the long-term Nickson target could finally join Newcastle, and for free.
Fabrizio Romano revealed earlier on Monday that Barbosa is planning to leave Flamengo on a free transfer when his deal expires in December, although any interested clubs can strike a pre-contract agreement to secure his signature now.
Junior Pedroso – the South American’s agent – told the reliable Italian journalist: “Gabriel has a contract until December. From July 1st he can sign a pre-contract (with another club) and we will start working this possibility.”
Eddie Howe should explore this opportunity
Instead of meeting Everton’s £40m asking price for Calvert-Lewin, we believe Newcastle should attempt to sign Barbosa on a free transfer.
The Brazil international – who is still only 27 – is something of an iconic figure at Flamengo, having scored 145 goals in 275 appearances for the Brazilian giants, while also providing 39 assists.
Of course, there is the danger of Barbosa not being able to replicate his goalscoring heroics in English football, although on a free transfer, there is little risk for Newcastle in taking a look.
Not only is the Flamengo No.99’s goal record very attractive for a free transfer, but he was also once valued at £40m, so the potential profit Newcastle could make on a future sale is huge.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Barbosa plans to leave Flamengo.
