Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo has featured heavily in Newcastle’s recruitment conversations ahead of the summer, Confidential can reveal.
The exciting 21-year-old, who can play across the front three or as a No 10, has been talked about as a potential replacement for Anthony Gordon, who is expected to join Bayern Munich.
Fernandez-Pardo is well known to Newcastle and, we are told, is universally liked by those on the inside. He has been watched and his data analysed, with everything pointing towards a player with an extremely high ceiling.
He has scored eight times from 40 appearances for Lille this season and his form has been rewarded with inclusion in Belgium’s World Cup squad. He is also eligible to represent Spain and Italy but declared his allegiance to Belgium earlier this month, though he is yet to be capped at senior level.
Fernandez-Pardo is an ambitious target – and Lille qualifying for the Champions League at the weekend, despite losing their last game at home to Auxerre, does not aid Newcastle’s cause. He will also have interest from other clubs in the Champions League.
However, we understand that part of the club’s sales pitch to prospective signings this summer is offering them a pathway into the Premier League and beyond, even if Newcastle is not their final destination. This was the hope when it came to a January move for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, whose long-term goal is said to be Real Madrid.
Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo has featured heavily in Newcastle’s recruitment conversations ahead of the summer
Fernandez-Pardo has scored eight times from 40 appearances for Lille this season and his form has been rewarded with inclusion in Belgium’s World Cup squad
It is not something supporters may be happy to hear, but players of potential are more likely to join a club if they know it can be a platform for development and progression. And, in a world of financial rules and restrictions, a trading model is absolutely essential to growth. That is why the sale of Gordon, and the example of his journey, could yet be used as a means to attract others.
Why Tonali’s Toon time isn’t over
Sandro Tonali’s hopes of securing a move out of Newcastle United this summer will be heavily influenced by… Elliot Anderson.
There is a feeling in Premier League circles, among agents and recruitment chiefs, that Anderson is ahead of Tonali on the wish list of both Manchester City and Manchester United. Only when, and if,…