Newcastle told of tempting price for 79-goal striker target Duvan Zapata, as Atalanta await offer

Newcastle United are back in the hunt for Duvan Zapata, whom Atalanta are willing to sell for a reasonable price, according to reports.

Zapata was close to a move to West Ham in January, when Newcastle also looked at him. Ultimately, he remained an Atalanta player, but that could be about to change. Reports are indicating Newcastle could make a new attempt to sign him this summer.

The Magpies added Chris Wood to their squad in the winter, but he struggled to hit the heights. They are looking for another centre-forward, but have missed out on top choice Hugo Ekitike.

Zapata may remain on their radar, though, after recent reports suggesting so from Italy. Now, Newcastle United have learned that a deal could be relatively achievable.

According to Italian newspaper L’Eco Di Bergamo, Atalanta are awaiting bids from the Premier League – with Newcastle getting a namecheck – for the Colombia international.

After four seasons in which he has scored 79 goals from 162 games, Atalanta have decided to make Zapata available for transfer this summer. His contract only has two years left to run on it.

Therefore, the Bergamo-based club have set an asking price of €25million for the striker. Converting to £21.2m at the present exchange rate, such a figure should be within reach for Newcastle.

Now, Atalanta will simply have to wait and see if Newcastle do make an offer for the 31-year-old. Interestingly, the two sides will meet in a pre-season friendly at St James’ Park on July 29th.

In the season just gone, Zapata scored 13 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. His tally included three goals from six games in the Champions League. However, Atalanta will not have European football of any variety on offer next season.

Duvan Zapata would be suitable signing for Newcastle United at that value

Neither will Newcastle, but they are building a project to strive for that territory in time. The addition of proven players like Zapata will be just as important as investing in talented youngsters to their hopes of getting there at some point.

Standing at 1.89m (6ft 2in) tall, Zapata has a big presence and can be a focal point of their attack. Although he has never played in the Premier League before, he has attributes that may make him a success in English football.

The only dilemma for Newcastle will be whether it is worth investing more than £20m in someone above the age of 30. They already did with Wood in January, but that experience hasn’t been overly positive so far.

Still, Zapata is a player of bigger pedigree given his European experience. Hence, he could be an effective option for Newcastle to target at what remains a realistic price.

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