Newcastle are interested in signing Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, The Pitch Prospect has learned.
The Blues are likely to be open to offers for the winger following the signing of Wolves star Pedro Neto.
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Portuguese striker Neto was present at the pre-season friendly against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea officially announced his arrival at half-time.
English star Madueke only signed with the West Londoners a year and a half ago, in January 2023.
He joined in a £28.5 million deal from PSV Eindhoven after impressive performances at the Dutch giants.
Despite getting off to a slow start at Stamford Bridge, the former Tottenham Academy talent began to show his skills towards the end of last season.
He ended up scoring five Premier League goals in 23 appearances, with three of them coming in the final eight games of the season.
He only played 13 of his 23 league games as a regular player, as competition at Chelsea is fierce due to the large squad.
And with Neto now signed for a transfer fee of around £51 million, his chances of playing time are expected to decrease.
New coach Enzo Maresca currently has an overstretched forward department and Chelsea must try to balance the books after another summer spending spree.
As an experienced England youth international, he played 20 games for the U21s and scored seven goals.
And Newcastle will be closely monitoring Madueke’s situation as they look to strengthen their squad.
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The 23-year-old has had an impressive pre-season, scoring three goals in five games and being named in Maresca’s starting line-up for Sunday’s match against Inter Milan.
The Magpies surprisingly secured a place in the 2022/23 Champions League, but last year they only managed seventh place due to injuries.
That means there will be no European football this season, but they will be looking to change that this season under Eddie Howe.
He has already included goalkeepers Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy as well as centre-backs Lloyd Kelly and Miodrag Pivas in his squad.
William Osula joined from Sheffield United, while Lewis Hall’s permanent move to St. James’ Park was confirmed following his loan spell last season.
Conversely, the Magpies earned £68 million by selling Elliott Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton.
If Madueke signs, this would probably also be the end of the Toon career of Miguel Almiron, who was previously linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.