With the end of season in sight, the race for Champions League qualification could be huge for Newcastle United in the fates of two strikers.
Having found a great run of form halfway through the Premier League campaign, Eddie Howe’s side have a cup final against Liverpool to contend with and sit firmly rooted in the race to finish in the top five places to guarantee Champions League football.
The same goes for Juventus in Serie A, as they sit in fourth, one point ahead of Lazio and two ahead of Bologna ahead of the final 10 games.
While they had enjoyed five straight wins in the league, including beating Inter Milan, they fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat to Atalanta last time out which could derail their hopes.
Failure to secure that top-four place could mean their desire to sign Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, could become extremely unlikely.
The same goes for Newcastle, as multiple clubs eye Alexander Isak for a move this season. The two stories link because Howe’s side are reportedly interested in signing Kolo Muani and were one of the clubs interested in a move in January when it was announced he could leave on loan.
After a brilliant first month, he has failed to find the net in seven games. Following that bright start, he claimed he was open to remaining in Italy after the end of the season. “My desire is to play and enjoy myself. But if things continue like this, why not? Juventus are the club that opened the doors for me,” he told Repubblica.
Newcastle want Kolo Muani in the summer
Kolo Munai was a hot commodity after hitting 14 goals and 14 assists for Frankfurt in 2023 before moving to PSG, but his failure to hold down a place led him to Juventus on loan and he nearly found himself in the Premier League too.
The lure of Turin is still there despite the club’s fall0ff in recent years. However, a failure to qualify for the Champions League will surely leave Muani searching for a club that can grant him such a wish – especially with the World Cup coming at the end of next season.
According to Calciomercato.com, Kolo Muani could be a perfect replacement for Isak should he depart, someone who is also a dynamic forward with experience for France and across three of Europe’s top five leagues. PSG could easily offload him should Isak leave and it doesn’t look like there’s a way back into Luis Enrique’s side and England could be a fresh start for the 26-year-old.
If not Muani, who will likely garner attention from multiple clubs as we saw in January, Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap could be an affordable £40million option. Yet, again, multiple clubs would challenge them for his signature.
Isak’s multiple suitors
With Isak netting 21 in 24 starts and scoring goals with a certain panache and class, he has become one of the most sought-after strikers in world football and he has proven it in the toughest league in the world across the past few years.
Liverpool and Arsenal are two standout contenders, both potentially needing a striker of Isak’s ilk to come into their teams and hit the ground running, as he would be expected to.
There are no comments to tell us what could happen if Newcastle only qualify for the Europa League or Europa Conference League but it would certainly be a big blow which would weaken their negotiating position.
As it stands, with his deal set to run until 2028 and the potential of Champions League football, Newcastle could certainly ward off elite-level interest but it will all depend on the outcome of the end of the season.