Newcastle plot stunning €140m raid on European giants as Eddie Howe eyes future domination
Newcastle linked Sporting Lisbon duo Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande
Newcastle United are reportedly planning an eye-catching raid on Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon for two of their best players.
Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his defence as he looks to bring in competition for Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles
It now seems that Newcastle have identified Sporting centre-back duo Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande as key transfer targets.
Both players have impressed massively over the past couple of seasons and are young, too, with Inacio being 22 and Diomande just 19 years old.
Inacio and Diomande have made 11 league appearances for Sporting this season – helping their side to four clean sheets in the process.
The pair’s performances certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, either. As previously reported by TEAMtalk, West Ham, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested in Inacio.
As for Diomande, he has emerged as a target for Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, while he has also been on Newcastle’s radar for some time.
Newcastle could now reportedly make bids for both players, who could prove to be two excellent long-term additions to their back line.
Newcastle plot moves for Inacio and Diomande
According to Portuguese outlets O Jogo and Record, Inacio is a key target for Newcastle, but will face competition from Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
The talented defender is one of the most in-demand players in Europe at the moment. Sporting do not want to sell him, though, and any interested club will have to pay Inacio’s release clause of €60m (approx. £52.6m) to get a deal done.
Diomande, as mentioned, also has plenty of interest from the Premier League. He also has a release clause in his contract – set at €80m (approx. £70m).
Therefore, Newcastle would most likely have to pay a combined fee of €140m (approx. £122.6m) to bring in both Inacio and Diomande any time soon.
Due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, it’s likely that Newcastle would only be able to spend that much on the duo at the end of the season, rather than in the upcoming January window.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Magpies test Sporting’s resolve with an approach for one or both of the players this winter.
If they are successful in luring both Inacio and Diomande to St James’ Park, they will have a formidable defence for many years to come.
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