Newcastle United are thought to be front of the queue to land a player who’s been dubbed a future legend this summer, it has been claimed.
Magpies in need of reinforcements
So far, the summer window has done little to strengthen the options available to Eddie Howe ahead of the new Premier League season. The Magpies finished seventh in last season’s competition, but they were denied European football by Manchester United’s unlikely FA Cup win over Manchester City a week after the end of the season.
Since then, there have been major concerns over financial fair play, which resulted in the club having to cash in on promising pair Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in order to avoid a points deduction for the 24/25 campaign.
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He would be a great addition to Eddie Howe’s side.
But having met the 30th June deadline, attention will now turn to reinforcements. They have already signed Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer and Odysseas Vlachodimos from Nottingham Forest, with the Greek shot stopper arriving as the no.2 to Nick Pope at St James’ Park. But they want plenty more. A centre-back is needed following long term injuries to both Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles towards the end of last season.
In addition, the Magpies are keen to add a right sided midfielder and a young backup forward to provide competition for Alexander Isak as bare minimum, and more could well depend on sales. Now, they look to have identified their centre-back target.
Magpies chase Benfica star
That comes in the shape of Benfica defender Antonio Silva, who has been tipped to become the next best thing in European football. Indeed, ex-Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen named him as a future legend back in 2023.
“At the beginning of the season he [Otamendi] started playing with Morato, who is a very good player, but then, because of the injuries they had to put the kid Antonio Silva, but the boy will be a legend,” the centre-back said via Record.
“If he keeps doing what he’s been doing, he has everything to be one of the best defenders in the world in a year or two.”
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Antonio Silva’s career to date |
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Appearances |
94 |
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Goals |
7 |
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Assists |
0 |
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Yellow Cards |
15 |
The centre-back, who is still just 20 years-old, has been the subject of strong interest from Manchester United in the past but they seem to have since pivoted their attentions to Matthijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite.
He still has three years left to run on his £25,000 per week deal with Benfica, but could yet depart. That is because Benfica “need to make” a big sale this summer, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, and the choices are between Joao Neves and Silva.
Benfica do not want to lose their teenage midfielder, which could see Silva depart instead. Indeed, they claim that they have put a 60m euro (£50m) price tag on the defender’s head, and that Newcastle are “in the lead” for his signature after having already seen one offer rejected.
With interest in Silva seemingly waning from the competition, the Magpies could swoop and repeat their Sven Botman success with another talented young centre-back.
