Newcastle transfer target Renan Lodi
Atletico Madrid full-back Renan Lodi is due to meet with Newcastle United in the coming days to discuss a potential transfer, according to journalist Andre Hernan.Â
The lowdown
The 24-year-old joined Atletico from Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense in a £19.6m deal in 2019, and the contract he signed upon his arrival at the Wanda Metropolitano still has another three years to run.
However, Lodi – who is now valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt – only started 13 of Atletico’s 38 La Liga matches this season.
Newcastle signed another left-back in Matt Targett on loan in January and have the option to sign him permanently from Aston Villa. However, Magpies manager Eddie Howe is exploring alternative options, which suggests that he’s not entirely convinced by the 26-year-old.
The latest
Hernan took to Twitter to explain that Lodi and Newcastle ‘will meet later this week’ and is optimistic that ‘business can happen’.
The Magpies are keen to ‘strengthen’ ahead of an assault on the top half of the table next season, and they view the Brazilian as a potential upgrade on their current left-back options.
Journalist Jacque Talbot has recently said that Atletico will demand around £42m for the 24-year-old.
The verdict
What kind of a full-back is Lodi?
He is certainly someone who can pitch in going forward, as evidenced by his tally of four goals and five assists in just 1,837 minutes of football this season, and his 16 goal contributions for Atletico overall. He also backs himself to run with the ball, ranking in the 75th percentile among positional peers in the big five European leagues for successful dribbles per 90 minutes (via FBRef).
While he may not have had the playing time that he would have liked this season, he has shone on the biggest stages in the past.
For instance, after the first leg of a 2019/20 Champions League round of 16 tie against Liverpool, which Atletico won 1-0, sports journalist Josh Bunting commended a ‘very solid‘ display in which Lodi restricted both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah to peripheral roles on the night.
The 15-cap Brazil international faced Manchester United at the same stage of this year’s competition and scored the winning goal in a performance dubbed ‘incredible’ by The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan, while his manager Diego Simeone has praised him as a “hard-working, humble player”.
Therefore, it’s little wonder that Newcastle seemingly want him at St James’ Park ahead of next season.
In other news, this Premier League striker could be tempted to move to St James’ ParkÂ
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