Newcastle United have identified Nice’s Amine Gouiri as a potential alternative to Hugo Ekitike, according to The I’s Mark Douglas.
The lowdown
After finalising a deal for Lille centre-back Sven Botman, Newcastle now want to sign a striker and a right winger.
Ekitike was the primary no. 9 target for Eddie Howe but the club have now become frustrated over a lack of progress.
And that’s why they may now turn to Gouiri, the 22-year-old who’s under contract until 2024 and valued at £37.8million by Transfermarkt.
The latest
Douglas writes that Gouiri has been picked out as a potential plan B after the Ekitike move hit a wall.
He also names another candidate under consideration – Chelsea’s Armando Broja, who spent 21/22 on loan at Southampton.
A senior source has apparently informed Douglas that the club are ‘moving on’ from Ekitike due to an ‘unwillingness on either the player or his representative’s part to join Newcastle’.
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The verdict
Gouiri appeared in all of Nice’s Ligue 1 games last season, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists. He also netted twice and set up another in the Coupe de France, helping his side reach the final (via Transfermarkt).
He’s yet to make a senior France debut but it’s hard to imagine that’s particularly far away now after 21 caps and 15 direct goal involvements (10 goals, five assists) for the Under-21s.
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Gouiri typically played in a front two at Nice but it wouldn’t necessarily be accurate to characterise him as an out-and-out striker.
He’s extremely creative too, ranking in the top 15 percentiles amongst forwards in Europe for progressive passes and expected assists.
It’s perhaps not a surprise, then, that he’s drawn comparisons to Liverpool’s false nine Roberto Firmino, who also scores highly for those metrics.
A technically-gifted player with a ‘legendary first touch’ (in the words of European football expert Alex Barker), he could be a real hit on Tyneside.
