Newcastle table offer to sign £35m star

Newcastle United have learned from the mistakes of last summer, and they are approaching the market with a fresh strategy, tying up deals nice and early.

Ewan Jaouen, 20-year-old goalkeeper, has already been signed from Reims for a fee shy of £20m. He played in Ligue 2 this season, which stands as the highest level of football he has reached. However, it’s worth noting that Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi made the leap from the French second tier to the Premier League last summer, and he’s done alright.

Now that Ross Wilson is firmly in place as St. James’ Park, things are changing, and Eddie Howe can prepare for the resurgence that PIF hope will take Newcastle back into Europe and toward title contention.

But a young goalkeeper such as Jaouen cannot spark change on his own. Indeed, with Anthony Gordon having left for Barcelona, it’s crucial that a new forward is welcomed to Tyneside.

Newcastle put offer on the table for Gordon replacement

Gordon has left, and Newcastle have banked £69m for his signature. How they deal with this loss remains to be seen, but having only sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool ten months ago (and failed to properly replace him), there’s no question that the margin for error is minimal.

While Harvey Barnes still occupies a spot in Howe’s first team, there’s a strong case to be made about the prolific winger’s wider range of qualities. He lacks the dynamism and energy that Gordon brings, and it’s something that Newcastle need to deal with.

Wednesday’s edition of Noticias de Navarra, via Sport Witness, reveals that Newcastle are pushing hard to sign Victor Munoz, who has €40m (£35m) release clause in his contract with Osasuna.

Newcastle have already tabled an opening offer, shy of Munoz’s release clause, but talks are ongoing, and there is a sense that a deal could be struck over the coming weeks for a player who could upgrade on someone like Barnes.

Why Munoz can be a Barnes upgrade at Newcastle

“There’s no easy way to stop him”, said Football Espana editor Ruairidh Barlow when quizzed by BBC Radio Newcastle about Munoz’s skillset. His blistering pace and physicality down the wing make him a difficult opponent for any defender on the continent.

The former Real Madrid youngster is the real deal, someone who could make a marked difference at Newcastle over the coming years. Now that Gordon no longer plays in black and white, signing such a profile has become even more important.

Munoz has not quite discovered his Midas touch in front of goal yet, but he has undoubtedly established all the right attributes to make a real difference for a team like Newcastle, who need his pace and electric quality when dribbling forward.

Turkish journalist Burak Eren has already remarked that his “potential is off the charts”, and if he can start raising those goalscoring numbers, Howe could be onto a winner.

After all, Munoz is already more creative than Barnes, and he dwarfs the 28-year-old in regard to underlying physical and athletic metrics.

Given that Munoz is averaging plenty of shots each game in La Liga, some fine-tweaking in front of goal might even assist him in effectively replacing Gordon and combining with Newcastle’s focal frontman – whoever that might be next season.

In any case, he certainly adds some variation to the outfit. He certainly has more in the locker than Barnes, who may even go from strength to strength if supported by a thrilling winger like Munoz next season.

Under Howe’s management, Newcastle have got plenty of mileage still in the tank. By signing Munoz, their hopes of returning to the ascendancy would increase, and then some.