Newcastle United have joined the race to sign Leicester City target Nico Gonzalez from Fiorentina, according to reports in Italy.
Gonzalez joined Fiorentina from Stuttgart for £21million in 2021.
The 21-year-old came off the bench in Sunday’s Serie A loss to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, making his 51st appearance for the Florence outfit.
There appears to be a decent amount of interest in the Argentina international.
It was reported last week that Leicester had lodged a £30m bid to sign Gonzalez.
Gianluca Di Marzio said Fiorentina were leaning towards accepting the offer, however, the club’s chief executive has since said the player is not for sale, and neither is reported Liverpool target Sofyan Amrabat.
Joe Barone said: “I can now confirm that Sofyan Amrabat and Nico Gonzalez are not for sale.
“The president Commisso already said that — I can confirm the same for both Gonzalez and Amrabat.”
Furthermore, news of Fiorentina contemplating the offer appears to be false if information from TuttoMercatoWeb is to be believed.
Gonzalez’s representatives have been told he is not for sale but the club would be willing to listen to ‘extraordinary offers’ – more specifically a bid higher than €40m.
An offer in this region is ‘unlikely to arrive’ due to his injury record and the fact he did not play for Argentina at the World Cup.
‘Unlike Dusan Vlahovic’, who joined Juventus last year for around €75m, Amrabat and Gonzalez will not leave Florence this month.
Brighton are also ‘surveying’ the situation and are ‘likely’ to sell Alexis Mac Allister in the summer, opening up the door for the signing of Gonzalez.
Newcastle appear to be keen with the report stating they have discussed a move with Gonzalez’s agents over a ‘video call’.
The Magpies have not made an offer, but the player is a ‘sensitive goal’ with Champions League qualification becoming a real possibility.
It is stated that Gonzalez will stay at Fiorentina until June with the ‘right offer’ potentially coming then.
In 51 matches for the Serie A club, the 21-year-old has 13 goals and nine assists.
Newcastle are in the market for a new forward and Gonzalez could be an ideal acquisition.
Eddie Howe has two excellent strikers to choose from in Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak.
The Geordies are still a bit short up top and could do with someone who can play on both flanks.
They have also been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby.
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