Newcastle ‘submit £26m bid’ for classy Serie A star being chased by Man Utd, Arsenal and Tottenham

Newcastle linked Genoa defender Ragu Dragusin

Newcastle linked Genoa defender Ragu Dragusin

Newcastle United have reportedly ‘made a bid’ for Genoa centre-back Ragu Dragusin as they aim to beat the competition to his signature in January. 

The Romania international has put in some excellent performances for Genoa since joining the Italian club 18 months ago and several top European sides have taken notice.

Dragusin has made 55 appearances to date for Genoa, scoring five goals in the process. The 21-year-old is already considered to be one of the best centre-backs in Italy and will only improve as he gains experience.

As previously noted by TEAMtalk, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United have all registered an interest in Dragusin.

A recent report claimed that Man Utd have already ‘made contact’ with his representatives over a winter switch to Old Trafford. 

Dragusin recently signed a new contract with Genoa. However, the defender is thought to have a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in place that would allow him to leave in January should a team match his £26m price tag. 

With that in mind, we could potentially see several Premier League clubs make offers for Dragusin, but it seems that Newcastle have already made their move.

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Newcastle ‘match Dragusin’s £26m price tag’

According to Digi Sport, Newcastle have now ‘made a bid’ for Dragusin.

The report claims that the Magpies have submitted a ‘written offer’ and have ‘matched Genoa’s £26m price tag.’

They also confirm that other Premier League teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham are also in the race, but interestingly the outlet doesn’t mention Man Utd.

Genoa are yet to respond to Newcastle’s offer and they could now hold out for a higher fee than initially agreed upon in the hope that a bidding war could take place in January.

It’s no secret that Eddie Howe is keen to sign a new centre-back this winter. Fabian Schar and Sven Botman are his preferred partnership, but the latter is currently sidelined with an injury.

Jamaal Lascelles has done a decent job of filling in for Botman in his absence, but it’s thought that Howe isn’t fully convinced by the Magpies’ club captain.

It would therefore make sense for Newcastle to bring in a new young, quality defender in January.

It will be interesting to see if any of the Genoa star’s other suitors respond to Newcastle’s ‘offer’ with a bid of their own in the coming weeks.

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