Newcastle reportedly want a favour from Joelinton in their bid to beat Chelsea and Roma to the signing of Bosnian starlet Amar Dedic. The Magpies are supposedly desperate to beat several clubs around Europe to the signing of the highly-rated Red Bull Salzburg right-back.
The continent’s biggest teams have reportedly scouted Dedic thoroughly over the last few months. Newcastle’s talent-spotters are claimed to have been present for Salzburg’s last three Champions League matches.
Dedic, 21, has also been watched playing for Bosnia as clubs monitor his progress. While Newcastle have Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento at right-back, they are reportedly keen to add more competition in the position.
The Salzburg talent would be the long-term replacement for Trippier, who turned 33 in September. Dedic can also play at left-back, where Livramento has often had to feature in the absence of Dan Burn.
According to The Sun, Newcastle want to take advantage of the fact that Dedic has the same agent as midfielder Joelinton. A positive relationship with the company could help them beat Chelsea and Roma to the player’s signature.
Arsenal and Barcelona have also kept tabs on Dedic, the report claims. The 21-year-old, who has 12 caps for Bosnia, has enjoyed a successful season with Salzburg.
An attack-minded full-back, Dedic has scored three goals and provided a further three assists in 16 Austrian Bundesliga appearances this season. He has scored a further two goals in Austria’s domestic cup competition and has captained his team on several occasions despite his relative inexperience.
Newcastle know that Trippier, whose costly mistake and penalty miss saw his side dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Chelsea, will not go on forever and are making a succession plan.
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Meanwhile, Newcastle could otherwise have a relatively quiet January transfer window to remain in line with Financial Fair Play. There had been speculation that Eddie Howe might choose to find a replacement for Nick Pope, who will miss the majority of the campaign with a shoulder injury.
However, Howe has ruled out that plan and has placed his trust in No 2 goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. “I’ve seen a lot of the media headlines and press speculation regarding goalkeepers and other players,” the Newcastle manager said this month.
“We’ve not made any enquiries about January in any position. If that was the case, we’d be recruiting in every position given the injuries we have in the squad.
“Hopefully that changes by January. This is an opportunity for our goalkeepers to cement their positions.”
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