Newcastle United

Newcastle United

Premier League • England

Newcastle eying up shock move for Juventus star who could be available on a cut-price deal

Ben Stewart
Wojciech Szczesny and Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus

Reports have claimed that Newcastle are weighing up a move for Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who could be available for a cut price.

Newcastle have started the season well in the Premier League as they currently sit tenth in the table. Eddie Howe’s side also boasts the best defensive record in the league, having only conceded nine goals.

Nick Pope has impressed since joining from Burnley this summer as he has kept four clean sheets already.

Given how well Pope has done, a move for another goalkeeper may come as a surprise. However, considering Newcastle’s lofty ambitions they cannot afford to stand still.

Pope has the second-highest save percentage in the Premier League at 81.4 per cent.

The English shot-stopper has sometimes been questioned when it comes to his distribution, but this hasn’t seemed to be a problem so far.

The 30-year-old has adapted well to life at Newcastle, but he could soon face some stiff competition.

Szczesny would be an interesting move

A report from Calciomercatoweb has suggested that Szczesny’s future at Juventus is currently up in the air.

The Polish goalkeeper is no stranger to the Premier League as he spent around eight years playing for Arsenal.

Newcastle could look to swoop in and take advantage of the current situation at Juventus.

The report explains that ‘the future of several players is being questioned’ at Juventus given their poor start to the season.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side currently sit eighth in Serie A and are in danger of being knocked out of the Champions League.

Given their disastrous start, Juventus are considering at a clear-out of their current squad.

The report goes on to explain that there are ‘several clubs interested in the Polish goalkeeper, in particular Newcastle have followed him for some time.’

It has been suggested that a deal of around £18million plus add-ons could be enough to land Szczesny.

The Polish goalkeeper is now 32 years old, but still has plenty to offer. In 184 appearances for Juventus, he has kept 72 clean sheets.

He has missed a chunk of this season through injury and has shared the goalkeeping duties with Mattia Perin.

For the most part, Juventus’ problems have been in the final third and not at the back. Allegri’s side have only conceded seven league goals this season, which gives them the third-best defence in Serie A.

Having only scored an average of 1.3 goals per game, they have often struggled to kill off matches.

The sky is the limit for Newcastle

Time will tell if Newcastle do actually intend to pursue a deal for the Juventus goalkeeper.

Since the takeover has gone through, Newcastle have been fairy sensible with how they have gone about improving their squad.

In the most recent summer transfer window, they signed the likes of Pope, Alexander Isak and Sven Botman.

The January window turned out to be a success with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier having an instant impact.

Howe’s side will already be planning out their next transfer window in a bid to take the side to another level.

Given their consistent start to the new campaign, there’s no reason why Newcastle can’t battle for a place in Europe.

If Newcastle want to be able to attract players of a higher calibre, European football will be vital.

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