PIF appear to be looking to bolster their ranks in January.
Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on an exciting young player from Spain, but a fresh report has revealed that it won’t be cheap to bring him to the Premier League.
Who has just signed for Newcastle United?
Over the summer, the northeast outfit, owned by PIF, recruited five fresh faces in the form of Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh on a permanent basis, alongside Lewis Hall who joined on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The Magpies may have completed all the business they can when it comes to the previous window, but Eddie Howe and the rest of the hierarchy are already looking ahead to the next one opening in the new year having been linked with Juventus central midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie.
Beside those, Valencia’s Javi Guerra is a new name to have entered the fold because despite having another four years remaining on his contract, his performances have caught the eye of chiefs having established himself as Ruben Baraja’s overall second-best-performing player so far this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.14.
Are Newcastle signing Javi Guerra?
According to Spanish outlet Marca (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are “one of the clubs” that have been monitoring the progress of Guerra.
The St. James’ Park side have been watching the central midfielder “very close”, and PIF are believed to view him as a “top player” which is why they have been keeping tabs on him during “every game” this season.
Valencia’s 20-year-old does have a €100m (£87m) release clause included in his deal so it may not come cheap to prise him away from his homeland, and it’s because of this high price tag that his club feel completely relaxed about his situation at the Mestalla Stadium.
How good is Javi Guerra?
According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Guerra is an “orchestrator” in the middle of the park and there’s no doubt that he’s much stronger in the offensive aspect of his game when you look at the excellent start he’s made to the current campaign in La Liga.
Spain’s youth international, who is sponsored by Adidas, has clocked up four involvements (three goals and one assist) in the opening six games of the term, but even if the ball doesn’t always hit the back of the net, he poses a constant threat to an opposition’s defence.
The Gilet native ranks in the 97th percentile for successful take-ons so loves to use his athletic pace to dribble past his marker and take aim where he’s also recorded seven shots so far, which is the third-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef.
Whilst Guerra is naturally a central player, he even has the ability to operate slightly deeper in defensive midfield, so for an individual who has the versatility to protect the backline alongside having a positive impact in the final third, he could be a wonderful signing for Howe and more importantly the long-term future of Newcastle should he put pen to paper, making this one to watch ahead of 2024.
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