Newcastle to beat Arsenal to new record signing as revamp continues

Newcastle are looking to raid Lyon once more, and compete with Arsenal for the signing of Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

The pair of clubs were both interested in Bruno Guimaraes in January according to reports, but it was the Magpies that picked up the Brazilian for £42m, the first major addition of their rebuild following short term solutions in the form of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

And, in truly poetic fashion, it was Guimaraes who scored the second and ultimately decisive goal to hand Newcastle three points against Arsenal, and see the Gunners miss out on Champions League football.

Newcastle to beat Arsenal to new record signing as revamp continues

Bruno Guimarães of Newcastle United celebrates with the fans at full time during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

Now, Eddie Howe’s side are looking to repeat the trick for Guimaraes’ former teammate and compatriot Lucas Paqueta, who has enjoyed a strong season with Lyon. The midfielder, who also played as a striker and centre forward for parts of the season, scored 9 times and grabbed 6 assists across the 2021/22 Ligue 1 campaign.

And, as per the Times, Newcastle are readying a mammoth bid for the 24 year old, and are ‘prepared to break their transfer record to land the Brazil midfielder’.

Howe has allegedly added Paqueta to his list ‘as one of his top targets’, and could bid up to £53m for the midfielder this summer as he looks to continue overhauling the Magpies this summer.

What is the plan for next season?

Having finished mid-table this campaign, the next logical step is for Newcastle to challenge for the European spots next season, boosted by the fact that the majority of their current squad are unlikely to be heading off to Qatar with their respective national teams mid-season for the World Cup.

For the Magpies, anything beyond a season where relegation is never a threat is progress, however, and with the connection between the players and fans building constantly, they are in a very strong place to achieve that.