Nunez alternative: Douglas says NUFC eyeing up £16.2m-rated gem, Shearer called him 'clinical'

Armando Broja is a potential target for Newcastle United in the summer transfer window, The I’s Mark Douglas reports. 

Broja, whose parent club is Chelsea, has nearly reached the end of his season-long loan at Southampton.

The Athletic reported following the move last summer that the Blues had high hopes for the striker, who had just signed a new five-year deal.

The Saints, for their part, are hopeful of signing the Albanian on a long-term deal ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Eddie Howe and Newcastle are intent upon signing a ‘high-calibre‘ striker this summer and have made Benfica’s Darwin Nunez a ‘priority target‘.

Douglas says that Newcastle have other options in mind as well as Nunez.

One of them is Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while they have also ‘watched‘ Broja this season.

It remains to be seen if that scouting leads to a formal offer when the window opens.

Broja, who’s only 20 years old, has enjoyed a strong season at St Mary’s.

He ranks second in the team’s goalscoring charts with nine in all competitions (behind only James Ward-Prowse on ten) and has netted one every 254 minutes, or 2.8 games, on average.

That form has seen his market value climb to an estimated £16.2million, and it wouldn’t be surprise if Chelsea fought to keep hold of a player showing so much promise.

Indeed, he made the shortlist for the 2021 Golden Boy award, given to the best player aged 21-or-under based in Europe.

And he’s won the endorsement of Newcastle’s all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer, who called him a ‘clinical’ striker with a ‘bright future’.

In other news, Luke Edwards rages over this Newcastle development.

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