Newcastle ready to stun West Ham with record bid for midfielder as Romano tempers talks of another deal

Newcastle United are reportedly ready to break their transfer record in order to sign midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Premier League rivals West Ham.

Eddie Howe’s men are looking to make some big splashes in the summer transfer market after qualifying for the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish last term.

And it appears that Paqueta is now on their radar after helping the Hammers claim Europa Conference League glory earlier this month.

The Brazilian made a strong impression in his first campaign at the London Stadium, scoring five goals and adding three assists in all competitions as he partnered Declan Rice in West Ham’s engine room.

But with Rice the subject of major interest from Arsenal, who have already had two bids rejected for the England international, the last thing David Moyes will want is to lose Paqueta.

However, Spanish publication Fichajes states that the cash-rich Magpies are determined to try and bring the 25-year-old to Tyneside.

Newcastle will, however, need to pay more than the £63m they gave Real Sociedad to land Alexander Isak last summer.

The report adds that they are willing to put ‘more than 70 million euros on the table to get his signing’.

As for the player himself, Paqueta is said to be keen on testing himself in the Champions League again, which he can do at Newcastle.

The Brazilian is not the only midfielder being tipped to join Howe’s men though, with Italy pair Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali also on their radar.

Tonali, Barella also on Newcastle radar

Emerging reports claim that Tonali’s agents are in London to discuss a deal, with AC Milan telling Newcastle they want £68m for the Italy international after making an offer of around £42.9m on Tuesday.

However, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has tempered expectations over a potential deal and insists it is a “very similar case” to their interest in Barella.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Yesterday, we had some rumours about Sandro Tonali to Newcastle.

“What we can say is that it’s a reality. Newcastle like Sandro Tonali, Newcastle have Sandro Tonali on their list but as we already said for Nicolo Barella last week, this is a very similar case.

“Newcastle would love to sign Sandro Tonali as they would love to sign Nicolo Barella but the main point is first of all the value of the bid because Milan want important money or nothing.

“Tonali is more than an important player for Milan, and then there’s the player’s side.

“It’s crucial to say because Tonali is a big Milan fan, he’s a Milan symbol and so to convince Sandro Tonali is going to be absolutely difficult, same as it was for Nicolo Barella.

“So, this is the situation, let’s see how the conversation goes.

“Interest, yes, intention to bid too, but the reality is the player’s side is absolutely crucial for Barella and Tonali.”

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