Howe can get St James' rocking as Newcastle plot bid for "phenomenal" £50m wizard - opinion

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Porto forward Otavio…

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, the Magpies are among a number of clubs eyeing up a move to sign the winger this summer.

The report claims that Liverpool and Manchester United are also keen on the attacker, who has a release clause set at €60m (£50m).

Eddie Howe can get St James’ Park rocking with a deal for Otavio this summer, as the 27-year-old would be an exciting addition to the Newcastle squad.

Scout Alex Goncalves recently hailed him as “phenomenal” for Portugal and his form for Porto has lived up to that tag as well. In the Primeira Liga this season, he has produced three goals and 12 assists in 25 appearances whilst averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.48.

He has chipped in with 17 direct goal contributions in all competitions and has created a whopping 14 ‘big chances’ in the league for the Portuguese giants. The wizard has averaged 2.1 key passes per game, which shows that he excels at setting up opportunities for his team-mates to score.

Meanwhile, no Newcastle player has averaged more than 1.9 key passes per match, while no attacker for the Magpies has averaged more than 1.5 per game.

This suggests that the Porto winger would add a level of creativity to the team that they do not currently have, and his arrival would elevate Howe’s team to another level as he is able to regularly deliver chances on a plate in the final third.

As per FBRef, he ranks in the 92nd percentile for shot-creating actions and 95th for progressive passes in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days. Otavio has been one of the most creative players in Europe over the last year, and the likes of Chris Wood and Callum Wilson could thrive off