Newcastle United are reportedly chasing Boca Juniors and Uruguay star Nahitan Nandez.
Nandez was eyed by Italian Serie A side Cagliari in January, and was close to a move before the deal fell through.
Now, it has been claimed by Calciomercato.it that while Cagliari are interested alongside AS Roma, English sides Newcastle United and Leeds United are also monitoring the situation.
It is believed that Nandez is likely to cost €20 million, and remains to be seen if the Magpies will go ahead with a bid for the midfield lynchpin.
Nahitan Nandez – Fact file
After an impressive spell at Penarol, Nandez got his first big move when he made the switch to Boca Juniors in 2017. Nandez’s consistent performances for the club were rewarded with a place in the Uruguayan World Cup squad, and he did pretty well alongside current Arsenal start Lucas Torreira.
Unlike Torreira, Nandez has remained in Argentine, but it’s likely that the upcoming summer will see him move.
Nandez has made 11 appearances for Boca so far this season, and also helped his side lift the Primera Division title in 2018.
Nandez would add more industry and steel to the Newcastle United midfield
Nandez is more of a combative central midfielder who prefers staying back and help out the defence.
We saw in the World Cup that Nandez and Torreira just sat in the midfield and blocked out attacks. That’s essentially how the player operates at club level as well.
Strong with his tackling, Nandez has mustered 2.9 tackles per game in an average in the league this season. His passing can get better, as he has recorded an accuracy of 78.6% so far this season.
Newcastle’s midfield has done well in recent games as the duo of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff forged a solid partnership together before the latter’s injury.
Next season, Newcastle will want to move higher up the table, and the presence of someone like Nandez in central midfield would allow the likes of Longstaff and Shelvey the license to push forward.
Benitez is an extremely pragmatic manager, and instances of him not using a two-man midfield pivot are rare. The Magpies have looked a bit too defensive at times this season, and with more reliable individuals like Nandez in midfield, the team can push forward more often or be more proactive next season.
It remains to be seen, however, if Mike Ashley will sanction a move for Nandez considering the club only broke their transfer record in January. He isn’t the keenest of spenders, is he?
Stats via Whoscored
