Newcastle United lodge €18 million bid for Barcelona-linked Argentine midfield prodigy

With Barcelona on the lookout for replacements for club captain Sergio Busquets, several players have emerged on their radars in recent months.

One such player who the Catalan giants are reportedly looking at is Boca Juniors prodigy Alan Varela. However, according to reports in Argentina, as relayed by the Daily Mail, Newcastle United have made a move for the 21-year-old midfielder, by lodging a bid of £16 million (€18 million).

Varela was trained at Barcelona’s soccer school in Buenos Aires, from where he was recruited by Boca Juniors. The young midfielder has quickly developed into an important player for the South American club, racking up 76 appearances in which he has one goal and three assists.

Former Barcelona star Juan Roman Riquelme, who is the vice-president of Boca Juniors, reportedly believes that Varela is ready to play for the La Liga leaders.

It has also been reported that Barça have excellent reports on the 21-year-old, who is understood to have a release clause worth around €20 million.

However, Newcastle United have made their move to sign Varela from Boca Juniors by tabling an offer of around €18 million, which is just shy of the 21-year-old midfielder’s release clause.

The Magpies are on the lookout for a new young midfielder as they continue to push for a top-four finish in the Premier League. They were interested in signing another young Barcelona target in Andrey Santos, but the Brazilian prodigy ended up joining Chelsea.

Now, Eddie Howe’s side have shifted their attention to Varela and have made an offer for the Boca Juniors ace. Given that Barcelona are not in a position to sign any players in January, Newcastle could come out on top in this race, if the reports of a bid are indeed true.