Newcastle United have held discussions regarding a deal to sign a physically imposing new defender, with the player’s agent opening up on the interest from St. James’ Park.
Who are Newcastle linked with?
Eddie Howe has Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett as his current options at centre-back in the northeast, but that hasn’t stopped the boss from wanting to bolster his ranks even further during the upcoming window in January.
The Magpies have been linked with moves for Club America’s Sebastian Caceres and Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, the latter reportedly being made number one target, but should they fail to secure his services, an alternative has emerged.
At the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa’s Radu Dragusin only permanently put pen to paper this summer from Juventus following a successful loan spell the season before, and he’s now made a total of 50 appearances for the Rossoblu (Transfermarkt – Dragusin statistics).
Romania’s international still has another four years remaining on his deal (Genoa contracts), but regardless of his situation, the 21-year-old has caught the eye of the black and white stripes, so that hasn't prevented the hierarchy from exploring what the conditions of a deal would look like to bring him to the Premier League.
Radu Dragusin transfer update
Speaking to TV Play (via Sport Witness), Florin Manea shared a transfer update on Radu Dragusin and admitted that Newcastle are one of the clubs he’s held a meeting with to talk about a deal for his client.
He said: “It’s not an offer from Newcastle, I’ve had meetings with both Newcastle and other teams. Genoa would only sell him for an offer higher than €30m [£26m].
"I wouldn’t like it [return to Juve], but he doesn’t know. In life you never know, even if Genoa will certainly ask for a lot of money for him. He still has a lot of room for improvement. He is aware that he’s now at 85% of his potential.
"Will Dragusin leave Italy? Probably. AC Milan and Inter have also asked, but [for] those figures, he can only go to Premier League teams.”
How good is Radu Dragusin?
According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Dragusin is a “dominant” and old fashioned centre-back in that he's safety first, averaging 5.8 clearances and two aerial wins per game in the Serie A so far this season (WhoScored – Dragusin statistics), showing what a rock he can be at the heart of a defensive backline.
Standing at 6 foot 3, Bucharest’s native is also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch having posted 12 contributions (ten goals and two assists) in 133 appearances since the start of his career, with his height posing a threat to the opposition when it comes to set pieces.
Furthermore, Dragusin will know what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having secured three trophies during his previous time at Juventus, so he would be able to match the winning mentality of the current squad who are already at Newcastle.