With one month left in the transfer window this summer, Newcastle United still need to address several issues as Eddie Howe seeks to find a route back into European competition.
Namely, a new centre-forward is coveted at St. James' Park, with Alexander Isak thriving as one of Europe's most exciting forwards but needing competition with Callum Wilson, 32, who suffered an injury-plagued 2023/24 campaign, garnering interest this summer.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on the Magpies' radar, but the Everton star has a blemished record on the fitness front too. A shrewder route could be taken.
Newcastle eyeing new forward
According to a report from Corriere dello Sport earlier this week – via Sport Witness – Newcastle are in the mix to sign Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia, who is craving a transfer to the Premier League.
Brentford, Everton and West Ham United are also known admirers of the Senegal international, but no suitor has yet to meet the Serie A side's price tag of €20m (£17m).
What Boulaye Dia would bring to Newcastle
Dia is one of the crispest and most composed centre-forwards in the business, with his average pass completion rate of 83.6% over the past year putting him among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for the metric, as per FBref.
He didn't however, get to show off the full scale of his goalscoring ability, with injuries limiting him to just 12 starting Serie A appearances and just four goals in 2023/24.
In the previous campaign, however, the 27-year-old proved to be one of the finest marksmen in Italian football, scoring 16 goals across 27 outings and missing just five big chances, as per Sofascore.
1.
Victor Osimhen
Napoli
32
26
2.
Lautaro Martinez
Inter Milan
38
21
3.
Boulaye Dia
Salernitana
33
16
4.
Rafael Leao
AC Milan
35
15
5.
Ademola Lookman
Atalanta
31
13
5.
M'Bala Nzola
Spezia
31
13
5.
Olivier Giroud
AC Milan
33
13
This is the kind of striking calibre that Newcastle would hope to inculcate into Howe's ranks, and given that he averaged 1.1 key passes and dribbles per fixture too, a dynamic option could be added to reinforce and broaden the Toon attack.
It's the kind of transfer that could cause PIF to forget about Calvert-Lewin, who, at present, is still of strong interest to the Tyneside club despite previously pulling out of negotiations this summer following concerns around Everton's £40m demands.
Calvert-Lewin has also been dubbed a "monster" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with similarly athletically robust qualities, albeit applied in a different way.
The Toffees' 6 foot 2 talisman is strong and commanding in the air but he is also frequently afflicted by injury – having now gone three campaigns without reaching ten goals in a Premier League term.
Dia, albeit spending much of last season wrestling with fitness problems, has proved himself a clinical presence with a high-level technical ability, and given that he's available for a portion of Everton's exorbitant demands, he must be signed.
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ByEthan LambAug 1, 2024