Newcastle 'make £16m bid for Boca Juniors midfielder Alan Varela'

Newcastle ‘have made a £16m offer for Boca Juniors wonderkid Alan Varela’… but they are ‘set to face competition from Barcelona’ to land the highly-rated Argentine midfielder

• 19-year-old Alan Varela has cemented his position in the Boca Juniors’ midfield
• Newcastle understood to have made bid for the Argentine defensive midfielder 
• Varela, capped at Argentina Under-20 level, has been linked with Barcelona too

Newcastle are set to splash the cash once more after reportedly making an opening offer just shy of £16m for Boca Juniors midfielder Alan Varela. 

The 19-year-old wonderkid, who has been linked with a host of European clubs including Barcelona, is a target for Eddie Howe who would ideally arrive in June, according to D Sports Radio.

Varela, whose release clause is €20m (£17.7m), has been lined up by Barcelona boss Xavi as a potential long-term replacement to Sergio Busquets, Sport reports.

Newcastle are understood to have made a bid for Barcelona target Alan Varela, who plays for Boca Juniors 

Magpies boss Eddie Howe is eyeing up a ‘transformational’ signing and the 19-year-old is certainly highly-rated

The midfielder grew up playing in the Barcelona soccer school in Buenos Aires where the Spanish giants have priority to sign players.

However, with Newcastle launching a bid, Howe could beat Xavi’s side to Varela’s signature and further strengthen his squad.

Varela plays a pivotal role in the Boca Juniors side and started 21 out of 26 games last season. 

He has made a total of 76 appearances for the Argentine club, while he has featured for his country twice at an Under-20 level. 

Howe is eager to add reinforcements to his squad next month as they look to sustain their bid to secure Champions League football. 

Newcastle’s opening bid is around £16m but the 19-year-old’s release clause is around £17.7m

The Magpies boss has been open with the fact that he is seeking a ‘transformational’ signing, much like the pick-up of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

He said recently: ‘We would love another transfer like (Bruno Guimaraes) because I thought it was transformational for the team and for the group.

‘They are difficult players to find but that’s our job to try and find them and we will endeavour to do that.

‘I am not pretending to watch players, I am watching them, with a view to signing them. I am not acting that out when I am alone at home!’

The Magpies have also been linked with 18-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Matheus Franca.

Howe has admitted that the club are mindful of ‘handcuffing’ themselves ahead of the summer transfer window by overspending in January.

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