Tottenham Hotspur were seemingly the hot favourites to sign Antonio Nusa from Club Brugge, but now Newcastle United have emerged as potential frontrunners to snap up the talented youngster.
While Tottenham are busy reinforcing Ange Postecoglou‘s squad for the here and now, there also appears to be one eye on the future for the North London club, too.
Over the last week, Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Antonio Nusa, the 18-year-old Norwegian winger making waves in the Belgian Pro League.
According to The Athletic Spurs are pursuing a deal worth around €30m (£25.7m) for Nusa, and the young winger would remain with Club Brugge until the end of the season as part of a loan agreement.
It has previously been suggested that the Lilywhites are conscious of competition from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool (Football.London), and are subsequently keen to wrap up a transfer as soon as possible (Daily Mirror).
Newcastle could beat Spurs to Antonio Nusa
Now, it seems Spurs will need to beat Newcastle United if they are to secure the signing of Nusa. That’s according to sources at Football Insider, who claim the Magpies may have taken pole position in the race for the player.
Apparently, Newcastle are hoping they can pull off a “hijacking” for Nusa, with the youngster being lined up as a “potential replacement” for Saudi Arabia-bound Miguel Almiron.
With Financial Fair Play regulations impacting Newcastle, it is thought they are “looking to raise funds for new recruits” by selling players first, but Nusa has indeed been “identified as a potential target” for the Premier League side.
As it stands, “internal talks” have taken place at Newcastle with regards to acquiring Nusa, but Spurs are still believed to be in “pole position” for the moment.
Spurs Web Opinion
I cannot see Newcastle conducting any major business this month, with FFP breathing down their necks. Spurs have put in the groundwork with Antonio Nusa anyway, and I feel like he will make a similar decision to the one Radu Dragusin made, in honouring the interest shown by the North Lononers.