Newcastle United have become rivals with Arsenal in recent times, and they are battling the Gunners to sign a highly rated player, according to a fresh transfer claim.
Will Newcastle sign players in January?
Eddie Howe's men have experienced a taxing start to their 2023/24 season, struggling to reach the high expectations levels after their superb campaign last time around.
While the 5-1 win at home to Aston Villa was sensational to watch, Newcastle followed it up with three defeats in a row in the Premier League, leading to early concerns about their top-four hopes. Thankfully, last weekend's 1-0 win over Brentford at St James' Park has steadied the ship, as has Tuesday's hard-fought 0-0 draw away to Milan in the Champions League.
The hope is that these last two results have kicked the Magpies' season into gear, with a win at Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon something that would further suggest they have turned the corner.
Once the January transfer window arrives, Newcastle will have the opportunity to make more signings, should Howe feel the need to, allowing them to bolster their squad for the second half of the season and beyond. It looks as though they are already eyeing up a possible signing at that point, according to a new update that has emerged regarding the Magpies' transfer targets.
Who are Newcastle and Arsenal battling to sign?
According to Calciomercato [via Caught Offside], Newcastle and Arsenal are both keeping tabs on Milan midfielder Charles De Ketelaere ahead of a potential move for him in the winter window.
Atalanta, who currently have him on their books for the season, are believed to have the option to sign the Belgian permanently for €30m (£26.1m) at the end of the season if they want to, but it remains to be seen if they will take up that option.
De Ketelaere is a highly rated prospect of whom plenty has been expected for some time now, but his time at Milan has been disappointing since joining from Club Brugge last year. He has failed to score in 40 appearances for the Serie A giants, which is a dismal statistic considering he is seen as a player with attacking qualities, and he was subsequently loaned out this summer.
While it has clearly been a tough spell for the 22-year-old, he could still be worth taking a punt on considering his age and his reputation prior to his move to Milan. For Brugge, De Ketelaere registered 45 goal contributions (25 goals and 20 assists) contributions in 120 appearances, showing what he is capable of, with former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri hailing him in the past, saying:
“I really like De Ketelaere. It was enough for me to see him on the pitch once with Belgium to appreciate his qualities. He’s practical, elegant, incisive. An excellent signing by Maldini and Massara."
The fact that Atalanta could look to sign De Ketelaere permanently is clearly a potential issue, but if Newcastle try and swoop for him in January, the 13-cap Belgium international's head could be turned by a move to the Premier League and he could boost the options at Howe's disposal significantly in attacking midfield and forward areas.
