Newcastle have been linked with numerous strikers this summer, with TSG Hoffenheim’s Joelinton touted as a £40million target, while Wesley Moraes was heavily suggested to be our radar before he joined Aston Villa from Club Brugge.
Now, though, moving for a mega-money Brazilian appears to be on the backburner, as TEAMtalk understand Huddersfield Town’s Steve Mounie has emerged in our sights, although we would face a Euro-wide battle for his signature.
AFC Bournemouth, Watford and Crystal Palace are all suggested to be presenting Premier League opposition for the 24-year-old, who set the Terriers back a then-club record £12million when he joined the John Smith’s natives in 2017.
A number of clubs in Germany and France have also put their interest to the recently-relegated West Yorkshire side, but have baulked at the undisclosed fee Jan Siewert Championship outfit are thought to be demanding.
Despite their relegation, Huddersfield have re-affirmed their stance that they are not in a position whereby they have to sell their leading stars, after Chief Executive Julian Winter told reporters last month: “Players will come, players will go, but there’s no fire sale and no urgency to force players out of the door.
“It’s all structured in a way that will benefit the club. We may lose four or five, we may lose more, but ultimately they get replaced, you bring a new vibe to the place, and you build on what you’ve done before.”
While TEAMtalk do not mention what fee the Terriers are requesting from the sides to have placed formal enquiries, TransferMarkt consider Mounie to be worth £9million after he struck twice for Town as they fell out of the top-flight.
Creating chances was not necessarily a challenge for the Benin international, as he averaged 3.1 shots per ninety minutes in the Premier League last season according to WhoScored, while taking on 1.0 dribbles and 17.6 aerial duels.
Proving wasteful with his time in possession has carried over into this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations, as well, as 6 ft 2 Mounie failed to score in either of his two outings for Benin during the Group Stage, and wasted numerous opportunities against Guinea-Bissau as the match ended in a stalemate.
The Montpellier product has also kept his rash attitude while taking on the AFCON, as he saw yellow against Ghana, to go with his one caution and one sending off in the Premier League during the 2018/19 season, which resulted in a three-game ban.