With attacking reinforcements needed, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards a Real Madrid star who could yet be handed a much-needed loan move away from the La Liga giants.
Newcastle transfer news
Newcastle’s attacking problems have come as a slight surprise. The Magpies spent the summer transfer window chasing a central defender and specifically Marc Guehi, before failing on that front. That failure left them short on central defenders once again and created an obvious problem to be fixed in 2025, only for their issues to mount up in the final third on top of that ever since.
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Of course, injuries to Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson haven’t helped, but the Swede – even amid that injury – has endured a disappointing season in front of goal so far, scoring just once in six Premier League games. For a player of his proven quality, that record simply hasn’t been good enough. His teammates haven’t been much better either, leading to zero goals from open play in the last 360 minutes of action in all competitions.
With an unexpected issue to solve, those at St James’ Park have reportedly set their sights on the ultimate solution. According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, sporting director Paul Mitchell is now plotting a move to sign Arda Guler from Real Madrid, who could grant the Turkish international a loan move away from the Bernabeu in January.
The 19-year-old is one of the most promising players around but finds himself in a long queue behind some of Europe’s elite for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s side. As good as he is, it’s incredibly unlikely that Guler breaks into the Madrid side ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, making a loan move his best chance to develop into a player capable of reaching the level of that trio.
"Great" Guler would become Newcastle's biggest threat
Whilst he has only started three La Liga games so far this season, no one is doubting Guler’s quality. He lit up Euro 2024 with Turkey and is on course to do the same at the very top of domestic football one day, but a pit stop in his development at Newcastle and in the Premier League wouldn’t exactly go amiss. The winger would instantly become Newcastle’s most dangerous player and end their goalscoring struggles once and for all.
The Real Madrid ace has even earned the praise of Jose Mourinho, with the current Fenerbahce boss saying via beIN Sports: “Arda is showing great personality and exceptional quality. To play at that club, personality is crucial. Players must internalize that they are good enough to play there. They can’t be afraid.
“Ancelotti is a great coach to learn from. Playing for the Turkish national team and competing in major events like the Euro is also important for him to feel the responsibility of representing a great country.”