Newcastle now in the race to sign “monster” £26m CF

Newcastle United’s main worries this summer will lie in keeping a firm grip on Alexander Isak, away from pursuing any transfer targets of their own.

Staggeringly, it’s even being reported now that the Magpies have placed a mammoth £200m price tag above the lethal Swede’s head, as they attempt to scare off suitors such as Liverpool and Arsenal circling.

The Reds have flexed their financial muscle recently by landing Florian Wirtz, and with Isak just fresh off a mightily impressive 27 strikes in all competitions last season, a superpower out there, such as Arne Slot’s reigning Premier League champions, could be tempted to bid such a ludicrous amount down the line.

Newcastle looking at £26m attacker

Eddie Howe’s men are already eyeing up plenty of striker targets, with the Magpies’ numbers in this department short even as Isak remains put for the time being, with Callum Wilson out of contract and young William Osula not yet relied upon too frequently. So, who could be lined up?

Well, according to reports coming out of Italy, Newcastle could soon enter the fray to land imposing Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic.

The report states that the Serbian goal machine is not interested in relocating to Turkey to link up with Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce. Instead, Vlahovic might well wait it out for Newcastle, with his price tag all the way down at a reasonable £26m.

Vlahovic wouldn’t displace Isak on his arrival, but he would be able to offer Howe’s Toon another fantastic option up top, especially as Champions League action returns to St. James’ Park.

Nottingham Forest are also named as an onlooker in other reports, but if Newcastle were to land the 6-foot-3 menace, they could be about to land a star who possesses shades of Aleksander Mitrovic’s intimidating, yet potent game.

How Vlahovic possesses shades of Mitrovic

It’s been some time since Mitrovic donned Toon black and white, with the now even more lethal 30-year-old plying his trade at St James’ Park when the club were disappointingly marooned in the Championship, before moving back up to being Premier League regulars.

He scored a promising 17 strikes from 72 Magpies appearances, but he would really spark into life on the books of Fulham directly after his Newcastle spell, with a mighty 111 goals coming his way in total at Craven Cottage.

Amazingly, Vlahovic is only five off matching Mitrovic’s blistering Cottagers total when glancing at his numbers strutting his stuff for both Juventus and Fiorentina, with an additional 22 assists also sticking out.

That’s led to shouts by journalist Siavoush Fallahi that the Belgrade-born attacker is “world-class”, with even more to come from the 25-year-old, perhaps, if he were to embark on a fresh adventure on Tyneside.

The similarities between Vlahovic and Mitrovic don’t just end with their shared fearlessness in front of goal, however, with both attackers also unafraid to utilise their lofty figures if needed, as seen in the Turin-based menace heading home the last-gasp effort captured above.

Whilst Mitrovic has a reputation for being a towering machine – much like the Toon target – he is actually just shorter than Vlahovic at 6-foot-2, with Vlahovic’s ability to throw himself about giving Howe another unique option in attack, away from Isak’s opposing strengths.

Previously dubbed as an “absolute monster” in this regard by Italian football expert Carlo Garganese, Newcastle could be about to win themselves a golden steal if they pick up Vlahovic, particularly if they fancy themselves a more imposing attacker in the same mould as Mitrovic.

After all, the Juventus number nine used to be worth a fee around the £70m mark, meaning the Toon must power ahead soon to land him for such a cut-price.

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