PIF can secure big Longstaff upgrade as Newcastle eye "tremendous" £36m-rated "genius" - opinion

Newcastle United and their new owners showed during the January transfer window just how capable they are when it comes to securing deals for players to join the Tyneside club.

Having lost a considerable number of Premier League games from the start of the season to the opening of the winter market, the Magpies unsurprisingly brought in some new faces to help them upgrade what was a rather leaky defence.

Now that the Toon comfortably secured their place in the top flight for next season, their focus can turn to the summer transfer window and where they can add further upgrades to their squad.

One man who has recently been linked with a move to St James’ Park and who could be a big improvement on current Toon midfielder Sean Longstaff in particular is Nabil Fekir.

After scoring 69 goals and delivering 46 assists in 193 appearances for Lyon, the midfielder joined Real Betis three years ago in a deal worth a reported £17.7m.

Since then, he has gone on to make 118 appearances for the La Liga side across all competitions, finding the net 22 times and providing 23 assists along the way.

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To compare his recent La Liga campaign with Longstaff’s latest Premier League season at Newcastle, the Frenchman racked up more goals, assists, shots and crosses and even won more tackles than the Magpies ace.

This highlights just how impressive an all-around midfield option the £36m-rated talent could be for Howe.

Labelled a “a world champion with tremendous quality” by Angel Haro, Fekir was also called a “genius” by the Betis president.

Having ended the