Newcastle in Goncalo Ramos race

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly in the race to sign Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: January target

Ramos was reportedly a target for Newcastle in the January transfer window, after he came back off an impressive FIFA World Cup with Portugal.

Hailed as an ‘incredible talent‘ by football content creator Jacob Schneider after scoring Portugal’s opening goal in their 6-1 demolition of Switzerland in the last-16, the six foot one machine went on to score a hat-trick in that game, and also provided one assist.

Ramos has also been enjoying an outstanding season at club level with Benfica, where he has managed to score no fewer than 23 goals and make a further nine assists in 35 games in total over all competitions so far (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, he is sure to be one of the most in-demand strikers in Europe come the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Newcastle in race

As per Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park outfit, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Southampton, are still interested in a move for Ramos ahead of the summer transfer window.

However, they will face competition from both Manchester United and PSG for his signature, while Ramos is also protected by a €120m (£105m) release clause.

His contract also does not run out until 2025, and Benfica are currently in talks to get that renewed, with the report adding that they are ‘calm’ about the whole situation.

The Verdict: Get it done!

Ramos has the potential to take the Magpies to the next level, and so they should be looking to try and get this deal done at all costs.

Both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak only have 11 goals between them over all competitions so far this term, and the Portuguese boasts more than double that.

It is not just goals that he offers either, as former Russian international Igor Korneev has previously hailed how fast and strong he is:

“Basically he has no weaknesses. It’s fast, strong, we realise you can beat one or two opponents in a small space. In an absolutely unbelievable way it rotates and changes direction completely. And I’m not just talking about his World Cup showing. He plays well with both feet.”

Nonetheless, signing Ramos would be a real coup for the Toon, should they be able to fend off the competition for his signature.