Newcastle now 'looking at signing' £69m 'genius' in ambitious PIF move - insider

Newcastle United are showing an interest in the possibility of landing Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo this summer.

The Toon have made just the one addition to their squad this summer, which has come in the form of making Matt Targett’s loan deal permanent.

However, noted insider ExWHUemployee believes Eddie Howe’s side have identified Jose Mourinho’s midfielder as a possible addition to their squad this summer, as he spoke on The Transfer Show.

Reports have also credited Tottenham Hotspur as having an interest in Zaniolo this summer, with Antonio Conte believed to be a big fan of the Italian.

But Ex also believes the Magpies could face competition from other Italian clubs, with the likes of Milan and Juventus expected to monitor the €80m (£69m) star’s situation.

He said: “Newcastle are looking at signing a guy called Zaniolo from Roma; also challenging with AC Milan for his signing, and Juventus.”

TIF Thoughts on Ex’s comments…

This is certainly an interesting link, with the ‘genius’ clearly a highly rated prospect, with Spurs boss Conte reportedly viewing him as a ‘dream signing’ this summer.

Zaniolo has shown signs of being a potentially big talent for years to come in the early stages of his career, having become a regular in the Roma XI over the last couple of seasons (via Transfermarkt).

However, with Zaniolo believed to be on the radar, we do wonder how this could affect a possible swoop for Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who plays a similar role to the Italian.

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