‘Already saying goodbye’: Reporter claims Arsenal target is now very close to joining Newcastle – Medical set
Newcastle United want to sign Real Valladolid talent Ivan Fresneda and claims are emerging that Real Valladolid are already saying goodbye to the right back.
Newcastle have been focusing their attention on signing another right back this month.
Emil Krafth and Javi Manquillo are unlikely to have long-term futures at Newcastle.
The idea is to bring in a young right back to learn behind Kieran Trippier before eventually taking over from the England international.
Leeds United’s Cody Drameh and West Ham United’s Harrison Ashby have both been heavily linked in recent weeks and months.
Yet rather than raid a Premier League rival, it looks like Newcastle will bring in a talent from the Spanish market instead.
IVAN FRESNEDA TO NEWCASTLE ‘FAIRLY A DONE DEAL’
Real Valladolid talent Ivan Fresneda’s name has been coming up again and again recently.
Spanish newspaper AS reported last month that Newcastle were fighting a host of Premier League clubs in the race for Fresneda.
The Daily Mail then claimed that Newcastle and Arsenal were both showing real interest in Fresneda with Valladolid expected to sell for around £10million.
The Athletic added earlier this week that Newcastle had scouted Fresneda in action against Real Madrid last Friday, ramping up their pursuit.
The claims are gathering pace now as Spanish football expert Fernando Kallas spoke to Sky Sports News earlier today (04/01, 12:23pm).
Kallas suggested that players and staff are already saying goodbye to Frenseda because his move to Newcastle is almost a ‘done deal’.
Kallas added that whilst there have been conversations with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Fresneda is likely heading for Newcastle.
“He’s 18-year-old and he made a very good game over the weekend. He just neutralised Vinicius Junior when Real Madrid played Valladolid over the weekend. I heard that the coach and his team-mates are already saying goodbye to him because it’s fairly a done deal that he’s going to Newcastle,” said Kallas.
“I heard that he had conversations with Real Madrid and even Barcelona. He’s a very young player, he’s been in the Spanish national team under-18s and under-17s too. He’s going to be a good player and he’s another example of how the Premier League are just dominating the market, going after players in the big five leagues,” he added.
Fresneda, 18, has spent time in the ranks of Real Madrid and Leganes before becoming a first-team player at Valladolid.
The right back has shown huge promise this season and could be Newcastle’s right back of the future with some schooling from Trippier.
