Atalanta's Luis Muriel celebrates scoring their first goal
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Atalanta striker Luis Muriel for Newcastle United.
The Lowdown: Great career
At 31 years of age, Muriel has had a great career, racking up a total of 148 senior goals combined for a number of top clubs and for the Colombia national team.
Hailed as an ‘incredible‘ footballer by his Atalanta teammate Ruslan Malinovskyi, the striker managed an impressive 14 goals and ten assists in total over all competitions last season (Transfermarkt), showing no signs of slowing down.
The Latest: Newcastle interest confirmed
As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, the St. James’ Park outfit are definitely eyeing a move for Muriel, but he is also wanted by Juventus.
It has already been reported that talks had been planned between the Magpies and Atalanta over a possible deal, but it is unclear whether those have gone any further at this stage.
The Verdict: Striker needed
Given that Callum Wilson has a history of injury problems, the North East club will want a reliable back-up in case he gets injured again.
Should Newcastle sign Muriel?
Yes
No
Muriel has shown throughout his career that he knows where the back of the net is, and so could provide a decent alternative for Eddie Howe’s side.
Nonetheless, he may relish linking up with fellow South Americans Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, and perhaps we could see the trio together on Tyneside before long.
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