Newcastle United’s search for midfield reinforcements has taken another turn after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rejected a move to St. James’ Park, forcing the Magpies to consider alternatives with the Premier League opener against Liverpool rapidly approaching.
According to Tutto Juve’s Mirko Di Natale, Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is the latest player to enter Newcastle’s radar, with the Tyneside club ready to step up their interest in the Netherlands international following the collapse of the Hojbjerg
deal.
“With Hojbjerg off the table, Newcastle could now focus its attention on Teun Koopmeiners in a more concrete way,” Di Natale reported. “The Dutch midfielder is among the names linked to the Magpies, in addition to Palhinha from Bayern.”
The development comes after Newcastle appeared to be making significant progress toward signing Hojbjerg from Marseille. The Denmark international was identified as an experienced option following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, but he ultimately decided against joining Matthias Jaissle’s team.
Koopmeiners, while experienced, would represent a different route for Newcastle. The 28-year-old had already established himself as one of Serie A’s leading midfielders during his time with Atalanta before joining Juventus, and he has made 89 appearances across his first two seasons in Turin, but he’d arrive in Tyneside without any prior Premier League experience.
Di Natale’s report, however, does not state that Newcastle has submitted an offer or opened negotiations with Juventus yet, only that its existing interest could now become “more concrete” following the failed Hojbjerg pursuit.
At the end of the day, Newcastle will need to do something about its midfield and its ongoing rebuild, with only the addition of teenagers Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba to strengthen that part of the field following the departures of NUFC-best Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
Koopmeiners would certainly provide more top-level experience, but Newcastle has yet to make the decisive move suggested as a possibility by Di Natale.
Would Koopmeiners be a better addition than Hojbjerg would have been, or should Newcastle look elsewhere after another midfield target slipped away? Let us know who you want the club to pursue in the comments section below!
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