Newcastle ‘prepare £20m bid’ for Championship striker who just matched Alan Shearer record

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Newcastle’s newfound wealth has seen them linked with some of the world’s most talented footballers but as they bid to stay in the Premier League they may first focus on more realistic deals with some of the Championship’s biggest stars more likely options. And record-breaking Blackburn striker Ben Brereton-Diaz has been linked with a move to the north east.

The Sunday Mirror, in their latest copy (January 2), report that Newcastle are ready to make a £20million move for the Chile star.

Callum Wilson is out with a calf injury, and with no return date yet set in stone, the news has worried Eddie Howe and Magpies chiefs.

The St James’ Park outfit are facing a tough time with their recruitment this month despite their huge increase in riches over the past three months.

Players such as Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala have been linked with a move to Tyneside as have a host of other star names.

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But the club’s treacherous league position means they will have to settle for poaching more attainable players for now – and a move for Brereton-Diaz now seems a sensible swoop.

The former Nottingham Forest striker has set the Championship alight this season, scoring 20 league goals even before the turn of the calendar year.

His goalscoring spree so far this season is now a joint-club record only matched by Newcastle icon Alan Shearer, who scored 20 goals at this point of the season in Blackburn’s 1994-95 Premier League title-winning campaign.

And as a result, Blackburn will be reluctant to lose Brereton-Diaz, but are said to be braced for offers from the Magpies.

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Rovers are just four points off the top of the table with a game in hand on league leaders Bournemouth and want to keep Brereton-Diaz to spearhead their promotion push.

However, with no Premier League experience, a potential move for the 22-year-old would come at a risk for Howe and co.

Born in Stoke, the striker grew up in Manchester United’s academy before signing professional terms at Nottingham Forest.

He joined Rovers in 2019, and his inspired form at the end of last season earned him a Chile call-up.

Chile chiefs were notified of his eligibility via the popular game Football Manager, where a social media campaign blossomed to earn him his first call up.

As well as his Blackburn form, Brereton-Diaz now has three goals in nine appearances for La Roja after making his debut against Argentina on June 14.

Newcastle meanwhile remain 19th in the league after failing to win any of their last four games and will be in need of goals in Wilson’s absence.

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