Newcastle has held additional talks with Real Valladolid’s 18-year-old right-back Ivan Fresneda.
Chief scout Steve Nixon saw Fresneda play for Valladolid against Real Madrid last month, and Newcastle officials are eager to sign the bright youngster ahead of competition from Arsenal, among others.
Luis Bardaji, Fresneda’s agent, was in London over the weekend, and Newcastle is attempting to strike a deal for the defender, who has a buy-out clause of roughly £8.8 million.
Fresneda came through Real Madrid’s youth system before joining Leganes in 2018 before joining Valladolid two years later.
He made his LaLiga debut in September, against Girona, and has appeared 11 times for Valladolid’s senior team this season.
Fresneda has also played four times for Spain’s Under-19 team.
Valladolid manager Jose Rojo Martin stated last week that Fresneda’s tenure at the club could be coming to an end.
‘I think Fresneda has a few games left in the Real Valladolid shirt,’ he said. He is only 18 years old, but he acts like a 30-year-old.
‘If I were at another club, I would go for him without hesitation, his data is brutal, and you’re not buying the current player, you’re buying what he can become in a few years,’ says the manager.
Newcastle’s first-choice right-back is now Kieran Trippier, with Javier Manquillo filling in for the England international.
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