Manchester United's Scott McTominay celebrates scoring their fourth goal
Transfer expert Dean Jones says that Manchester United’s Scott McTominay and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek are ‘serious targets’ for Newcastle United.
The Lowdown: January transfer interest
The Magpies were reportedly interested in both players in the January transfer window, with McTominay a midfielder that Eddie Howe admires due to his athleticism and ball-carrying ability.
They also looked into the possibility of signing Loftus-Cheek on loan, but a move never materialised in the end.
The Latest: ‘Serious targets’ for Newcastle
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones says that McTominay and Loftus-Cheek are ‘serious targets’ at St James’ Park this summer, while Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo are perhaps fancier names that Newcastle would ‘like’.
The journalist stated: “I know people like to imagine that there will be fancy names coming into Newcastle, but it’s just not the way they’ve been doing things. They want players that fit roles and there’ll be talk about Ruben Neves and Caicedo and they’ll definitely like those players. There also players like Loftus-Cheek, Scott McTominay, that are actually going to be serious targets at the end of this season.”
The Verdict: Smart moves
Signing both McTominay and Loftus-Cheek would be smart from Newcastle, especially considering that they let Jonjo Shelvey go to Nottingham Forest in January without bringing in a midfield replacement.
It means that they will likely be looking at midfielders this summer, and both players offer the Premier League experience which would enable them to settle quickly on Tyneside.
At 26 and 27 years of age respectively, McTominay and Loftus-Cheek are also about to hit their prime; and on £60,000 per week at Old Trafford, the former would not break Newcastle’s wage structure.
The Tynesiders would likely be eager to reduce Loftus-Cheek’s £120,000-per-week wages, as that would make him the joint-highest earner in the squad, but they should still want to bring him in as an extra body.
Indeed, Newcastle would be weakening two domestic rivals in Man United and Chelsea while also strengthening their own squad significantly.
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