Newcastle United are considering a transfer move for experienced Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.
What’s the story?
The Croatia international’s contract with the Serie A giants comes to an end next summer, and would therefore allow him to sign a pre-contract agreement with the Magpies when the January transfer window opens up in a couple of months time.
And, according to Italian publication Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), the Tyneside club are very much serious about signing the 28-year-old, and that they are ready to offer him a salary of around €7m (£5.9m) per season.
Newcastle fans will be buzzing
Rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, Brozovic has been mostly used in a more defensive-minded role for Inter, but has still managed to score 25 goals and provide 34 assists in his time at the San Siro.
The Croatian can dictate the tempo of the game, and is at his best when controlling the action. As per WhoScored, he has averaged a whopping 61 passes per game in Serie A this season, at an extraordinary passing accuracy of 92.3%.
And judging by the kinds of comments that his managers at both club and international have said about him, it’s clear to see why Newcastle should be prioritising him this summer.
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic declared: “He is very important to us in the game, he is very calm and his technique is perfect. Through him we can easily get out of the opponent’s pressing”.
And, former Inter boss Luciano Spalletti hailed: “Brozovic is one who has a compass in the foot, knows football, has clean passages and find the free man”.
Brozovic could come in and become the deep-lying playmaker that Newcastle could do with to best unlock the likes of Joe Willock and Allan Saint-Maximin further forward, and helping to turn them into a team that likes to dominate possession.
With his age at just 28, the Croatian is still in the prime years of his career, and is the kind of marquee signing that would surely have Newcastle fans buzzing.
Meanwhile, Newcastle could get St James’ Park rocking by hiring this man…