Newcastle United could use the summer transfer window to add some new players to their impressive squad ahead of their Champions League campaign next season and now a new update has emerged on a potential target.
What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Kouadio 'Manu' Kone?
According to Foot Mercato journalist Ignazio Genuardi, Newcastle are one of the clubs interested in signing Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Kouadio 'Manu' Kone.
He revealed that although Liverpool have made an approach, he is arousing the interest of Newcastle and is "very popular" with the Magpies who are looking for two new players in midfield.
Would Kone be a good fit for Newcastle?
It is clear that Newcastle could be in the market for another midfielder this summer with a number of potential targets being linked to the club ahead of the transfer window opening yesterday.
One of the most high-profile links in recent weeks has been a potential move for Moises Caicedo this summer, however, securing a deal for the Brighton and Hove Albion star is looking increasingly unlikely due to the £80m price tag attached to him.
As a result, Eddie Howe could instead look to Kone as a much cheaper alternative – with a reported price tag of €40m (£34m) – without compromising on the quality needed in the defensive midfield role next season.
As per FBref, Caicedo has been named as one of the most comparable players to the Gladbach ace – hailed the "complete package" by Jacek Kulig – over the last 12 months, and it's not hard to see why with the pair sharing several similarities in their output this season.
When comparing the positional peers over their respective league appearances, the midfielders shared many related attributes including goal contributions (2 v 2), pass completion rate (86.2% v 88.5%), goal-creating actions (5 v 5), successful take-ons (48.3% v 51.9%), blocks (44 v 43) and ball recoveries (221 v 248), although Kone did play seven fewer games in the league.
The Newcastle midfield is already bursting with talent as Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton have been standout performers in the top flight, notably contributing to 22 goals between them this term, however, adding another young talent who can improve the presence in the centre of the pitch will be advantageous for Howe as he leads his squad in an elite European tournament.
With that being said, if the powerbrokers at St James' Park could seal a deal for Kone it would be a great opportunity to not only bring in a player with a similar profile to Caicedo for much less but add a fresh perspective into midfield ahead of next season.