Hoffenheim director of football, Alexander Rosen, has confirmed ‘a dozen’ clubs are interested in Brazilian forward, Joelinton.
The 22-year-old has scored 10 goals in 29 outings for Die Kraichgauer so far this season, providing a further nine assists, and has been compared to Liverpool striker, Roberto Firmino, who played for Hoffenheim between 2011 and 2015.
Could Newcastle break their transfer record for Joelinton? Five key things to know…
- Joelinton has scored 10 goals in 29 games for Hoffenheim this season.
- Club chief, Alexander Rosen, has confirmed ‘a dozen’ clubs are interested in the Brazilian.
- Reports suggest Newcastle may be ready to offer £52m for the 22-year-old.
- That would smash the club’s transfer record, only set in January with the £20m signing of Miguel Almiron.
- Before that, Newcastle hadn’t broken their transfer record since the signing of Michael Owen in 2005.
Newcastle United are among the clubs most touted as a potential destination for Joelinton, with their main striker, Salomon Rondon, only at the club on a season-long loan.
But Rosen has revealed the Magpies’ interest is just the tip of the iceberg.
“To be honest, it’s not about one or five clubs. There are a dozen of clubs interested in him,” he said in an interview with Bild.
Rosen did, however, insist Hoffenheim are now in a much stronger position to ‘say no’ than they were when Firmino left the club.
“We have developed great strength to be able to say no – which we have proven a number of times in the past,” he added.
“It’s about knowing your place in the food chain. There are fewer clubs that are above us compared to three, four or five years ago. But at a certain point, things are unstoppable.”
Reports also claim Newcastle are ready to pay £52m for Joelinton, which would smash the club-record £20m they paid to Atlanta United in January for Miguel Almiron.
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel: sqwk.at/Squawka-Sub
Benitez remains coy on Newcastle future
The future of Rafael Benitez at St James’ Park has been in question for some time, with the Spaniard often appearing to be at odds with the club’s owner, Mike Ashley.
However, the Magpies recently broke their transfer record for the first time since the signing of Michael Owen in August 2005 to bring Almiron to Tyneside.
That signing has coincided with a run of seven points from three games, beating Huddersfield and Burnley along the way.
But Benitez has still refused to be drawn on questions surrounding his future, insisting he is just focusing on the next game.
“I said before the [Burnley] game I’m focused on the game,” he told BT Sport. “After the game, I’m focused on the West Ham game (on Saturday).
“It’s a situation we have to manage. We have to show ambition and show we want to be a top side in the Premier League.
“I was talking with (Newcastle owner) Mike Ashley, with (managing director) Lee Charnley, so they know what I think. We have to ensure we have a project.
“Hopefully everything will be fine. At the moment it’s just about enjoying the game and trying to prepare for the next one.”
The post Hoffenheim talk up interest in Firmino-esque Newcastle target appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka News https://ift.tt/2NyX8Zr
No comments:
Post a Comment