According to The Sun, Newcastle United are eyeing an ambitious swoop for Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer as Steve Bruce looks to bolster his striking department before deadline day.
What’s the word?
It’s believed that the Magpies boss is in talks with the Bundesliga outfit over a potential loan-to-buy move for the 26-year-old.
Bruce is hopeful that he can persuade Alcacer with regular game time in the Premier League as the Spaniard looks to boost his chances of making the national squad for the Euro 2020 Championship this summer.
It is also claimed that the club will offer the potential of making the switch permanent at the end of the season for £25m.
His time at Dortmund is wearing thin following the addition of coveted frontman Erling Haaland earlier this month, the Norwegian has already bagged five goals from the bench in two appearances.
Shock move
This would certainly be a mark of ambition from the north-east outfit, although it is one they need to make as they continue to suffer in front of goal.
The Magpies signed Joelinton for a club-record £40m in the summer but he has struggled to make an impact at St James’ Park having netted just once in the top-flight this campaign.
Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?
Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle are yet to score between them, making central midfielder Jonjo Shelvey their top goalscorer on five goals – then five defenders, four of which centre-backs, are next best with two for the season, via WhoScored.
A move for Alcacer would go to great lengths in providing a solution as he’s had a prolific record across Europe since making his mark at Valencia.
For Dortmund alone in the Bundesliga, he’s notched 23 goals in just 37 appearances, leading to him overtaking Gerd Muller and Grafite as the best striker for goals-per-minute in the division.
His arrival would be an interesting move, but if they can indeed clinch him, their fortunes will surely change in front of goal. They must pull out all the stops for him.
And in other news, fans have been torn in their reaction over £40m summer signing Joelinton after their recent FA Cup performance…