Newcastle United have set their sights on bringing an exciting young defender to the Premier League, according to a fresh report.
Who have Newcastle signed in 2023?
PIF and Eddie Howe brought five fresh faces to the club over the summer in the form of Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh on a permanent basis, whilst Lewis Hall joined on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
With regards to outgoings, Allan Saint-Maximin, Chris Wood and Karl Darlow were the three senior stars to leave the northeast for good, alongside the likes of Ryan Fraser, Jamal Lewis and Isaac Hayden, who were temporarily sent out on the road to receive more regular game time.
The St. James’ Park outfit have therefore created space in the squad for further recruits in January having sanctioned plenty of exits before the previous deadline, and one player that they appear to be targeting is Sao Paulo centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
The Brazil youth international still has another three years remaining on his contract, but having impressed at the highest level since getting promoted to the first-team from the academy last summer, the 19-year-old has caught the eye of the hierarchy in NE1.
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Lucas Beraldo’s Strengths |
Lucas Beraldo’s Weaknesses |
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Passing |
Aerial duels |
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Tackling |
n/a |
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Concentration |
(Information via WhoScored) |
Are Newcastle signing Lucas Beraldo?
According to Spanish reports (via Sport Witness), Newcastle, Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all “expressed their interest” in Beraldo ahead of the transfer window opening in January.
The Premier League trio have been impressed with their target’s performances which have “caught the attention” of his admirers, who also include Benfica, Porto and Monaco overseas.
St. James’ Park scouts are now considering a “promising investment for the future”, but as the outlet states, it won’t be an easy task to fend off other potential suitors at the start of 2024.
How good is Lucas Beraldo?
According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Beraldo is a “fearless” defender, and that is exactly the attitude and mindset that you want your younger players to possess as a manager, so should Newcastle be able to beat their fellow competitors in the race for his signature, it could be a massive coup.
Sponsored by Nike, the left-footed ace ranks in the 93rd percentile for pass completion by centre-backs so is extremely calm and composed on the ball throughout the backline, and he also looks to push his team as high up the pitch as possible, listing in the 95th percentile for progressive passes, via FBRef.
Furthermore, Piracicaba’s native has even scored two goals himself since the start of his career so he’s shown that he can make himself a threat in the opposition’s box when it comes to set pieces, despite only standing at 5 foot 11.
Finally, Beraldo earns just £770-per-week at Sao Paulo – that would make him the lowest-earner on the books compared to the current squad’s salaries and is a tiny number in Premier League terms – so this is a no-brainer of a deal to pursue should the opportunity present itself.