Newcastle keen on ‘club-record’ signing of young Brazilian; Romano confirms Drameh interest
West Ham and Newcastle United are in the race to sign 22-year-old Botafogo winger Jeffinho, according to a Brazilian journalist.
Jeffinho joined the Brazilian outfit for €300,000 in August and is already being tipped to leave for the biggest sale in Botafogo’s history.
The 22-year-old only has two goals and two assists in 26 matches for the club, but lots of European clubs are said to be interested.
Transfer journalist Ekrem Konur has said that Botafogo have ‘decided’ to reject any January offers for Jeffinho.
Konur says that Newcastle, West Ham and Ajax are interested.
And Brazilian journalist Jose Passini has chimed in, noting that there are more clubs in the mix.
According to Passini, Jeffinho might have played his final game for Fogo.
As well as Ajax, Newcastle and West Ham, there is interest from Werder Bremen, AZ Alkmaar, and ‘clubs from Portugal’.
Every club has apparently been in Brazil watching and ‘monitoring’ the player – who ‘could become the biggest sale in the club’s history’.
Before the end of a game this season, Jeffinho’s agents were seen leaving with ‘representatives of foreign clubs’.
West Ham scouts were in attendance for the match against Fluminese in October in which Jeffinho scored a goal.
And last week, a Newcastle analyst was in contact with the club.
Passini believes Jeffinho can become the club’s biggest sale in their history.
Vitinho’s £8.3million move to CSKA Moscow in 2013 is currently Botafogo’s club-record sale and it is not indicated how much Jeffinho will cost.
The 22-year-old is not the only young Brazilian linked with a move to the Premier League.
Chelsea are believed to be leading the race to sign Palmeiras’ Endrick, though they are battling Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid for the 16-year-old’s signature.
Newcastle could be busy in the winter transfer window as Eddie Howe looks to continue the club’s push for European football.
The Magpies go into the World Cup break third in the Premier League with only one defeat from their opening 15 matches of the campaign.
Howe will probably be backed in January and qualifying for European football would be absolutely massive in the club’s project.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle are looking to bolster their defence with the signing of Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh.
Drameh impressed on loan at Cardiff City in the second half of last season.
Despite only being in Wales for six months, he was named the club’s Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season.
Although he shone for the Championship outfit, Jesse Marsch signed Rasmus Kristensen, which has seen Drameh’s first-team minutes remain limited.
The 20-year-old’s only game time this term has come in the 5-2 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup victory against Barnsley in August.
With his Leeds minutes coming at a premium, Drameh could seek a transfer elsewhere in 2023.
Bizarrely, there are sides that are much better than Leeds looking to sign him, according to Romano.
Newcastle are in the race to sign the young defender alongside Lille, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.
With 18 months left on his current contract, Marsch will need to give Drameh more playing time or allow him to leave.
A move to Dortmund could be more than ideal given their proven track record of developing young players.
Jadon Sancho spent four years with the German club before joining Manchester United for around £75million.
And Jude Bellingham is still in Dortmund after leaving Birmingham City in 2020.
As for Leverkusen, they currently have Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan.
Hudson-Odoi has one goal in 15 matches for the Bundesliga side.
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