Fabrizio Romano gives big Newcastle United update on highly-promising Brazilian youngster

Newcastle United are working hard to secure a January deal for highly-rated Flamengo forward Matheus Franca, according to recent reports.
The 18-year-old has received interest from a number of top European clubs over the past few weeks, but an update from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano suggests that the Magpies have come out on top.
Newcastle are currently second in the Premier League table after enjoying a fine start to the Premier League campaign and Eddie Howe could be about to make another excellent long-term addition.
Indeed, everything seems to be going right for Newcastle at the moment after they bamboozled Leicester City with a 3-0 victory at the King Power stadium yesterday.
Now, they look set to sign Franca, who could be an effective attacking option for many years to come if he can live up to his sky-high potential.
So far, the youngster has scored an impressive eight goals in 28 appearances across all competitions for Flamengo, who currently sit in fifth place in the Brazilian Serie A.
Franca is a versatile player, too, with the ability to play as an attacking midfielder or on either wing. With the typical Brazilian attributes of tricks, pace and flair, he could be an exciting addition for the Toon.
Romano shared the intriguing update when speaking about Newcastle on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast.
He said: “Keep an eye on Matheus Franca. This boy I mentioned many times, it was a [few] years ago.
“This boy from Flamengo is one of my favourites in South America, now Newcastle are actively working to sign him, but they have to make a decision.
The ‘decision’ will likely be on how much the Magpies are willing to spend on Franca, but with a huge war chest at their disposal that is unlikely to be a problem.
Franca is under contract with Flamengo until 2027, so any successful bid in January would probably have to be a sizeable one.
Newcastle are no strangers to bringing in highly-rated youngsters though after they signed 18-year-old Garang Kuol in the summer.
They are also looking to do winter transfer business elsewhere, too, with the Toon being linked to the likes of Milan Skriniar in recent days.
While signing Franca would be an exciting addition for the future, it is undoubtedly more important that Newcastle focus on players who can instantly improve their starting 11. After all, if the Magpies can secure a top-four finish this season, that would be massive for the club.
Nevertheless, the links to the teenager have been growing for several weeks now, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Franca, along with a few more new faces at St James’ Park this season.
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