Newcastle United have made agent contact to enquire about a summer deal to bring Inter Milan star Marcelo Brozovic to the Premier League, according to reports.
Who is Marcelo Brozovic?
Brozovic is a midfielder who currently plays his football at the San Siro Stadium having moved there permanently following a successful loan spell from Dinamo Zagreb back in 2016, and across both spells, he’s made a total of 330 appearances to date.
The Croatia international still has another three years to run on his contract in Italy, but having made just 19 Serie A starts from 38 games last season, he’s fallen significantly down the pecking order under Simone Inzaghi.
Furthermore, the Croatian veteran reportedly feels like he’s not as much of an integral member of the squad as he once used to be so he could be wanting to make a fresh start during this window, and should that be the case, he’s already got an admirer in Eddie Howe at St. James’ Park.
Are Newcastle signing Brozovic?
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle have "sent signals through intermediaries" to enquire about a potential summer deal for Brozovic. The Magpies wanted to make indirect "contact" to "test the transfer waters", though at this stage, it appears that the midfielder "could be heading" for Saudi Arabia. Inter Milan have "denied" rumours that their talisman is in talks to complete that particular switch, but the player is believed to be "open to a lot of things".
Could Brozovic be a good addition for Howe?
Newcastle will be aware that Brozovic is leaving his prime being 30 years old already, so offering him a short-term deal would probably be the best outcome, but considering the hugely positive impact he can still have, the defensive midfielder would be a top-class recruit for PIF.
The Epic Team client, who can play with both feet equally, was averaging 1.3 tackles per league game last season and he’s calm and composed in possession having recorded an 89.6% pass success rate, which was higher than any of the players already in the northeast. That suggests that he’d be an upgrade on the options that the boss already has available to him, or at least offer some experience to the rising stars in the current midfield ranks.
Inter Milan’s £183k-per-week earner also got involved in the final third having posted eight goal contributions (five assists and three goals) in 28 Serie A outings which has previously seen him dubbed “irreplaceable” by former professional Gianfranco Matteoli, so it would be a massive coup should he put pen to paper in the weeks ahead.