Newcastle United “like” Boca Juniors starlet Alan Varela as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his midfield at St. James’ Park, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has told GiveMeSport.

The Magpies are currently sitting in third place in the Premier League, with a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final with Southampton to look forward to before the end of January.

Newcastle transfer news – Alan Varela

According to D Sports Radio in Argentina, Newcastle have made an opening offer of £16m to Boca Juniors for the services of Varela, who could join the club in June.

The 21-year-old reportedly has a release clause worth £17.7m, suggesting that the Argentine giants could hold out for a fee closer to that value.

Meanwhile, Sport report that Barcelona are admirers of the young midfielder, with head coach Xavi seeing the former Argentina U20 international as a long-term heir to Sergio Busquets at the Nou Camp.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has recently told GiveMeSport that a move for Varela “seems plausible” as the Magpies look to secure some of the globe’s best young talent on offer.

And Downie has admitted that Newcastle “like” the youngster, but believes the club may look towards a more experienced midfield option in January.

What has Downie said about Newcastle and Varela?

Downie told GiveMeSport: “Even in midfield, Alan Varela is one that they like. He might be more involved with the first team but is he going to come in and start every game? I'm not sure.

“I just think that the tact might change slightly as the window goes on and I think there might be, if there isn't already, a realisation that they need another experienced midfielder in there.

“How much they're willing to go to and how much they're willing to spend is the question.”

How has Varela performed at Boca?

Varela – who has been described as a “pure joy” to watch by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig – has made 76 senior appearances for Boca, hitting the back of the net once and providing three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

The starlet earned himself an average Sofascore rating of 7.02 for his showings in the Argentine top flight in 2022, which ranked him as the sixth-best performer in the squad.

Varela also compares favourably to his positional peers across the next eight equivalent competitions, ranking in the top 9% of midfielders for non-penalty goals (0.17) and the top 11% for pass success rate per 90 minutes (87.0%) over the last 365 days, as per FBref.

Therefore, whilst Varela could still prove to be a raw talent as he makes the move from South American to European football, Newcastle may feel that paying his release clause could be worth every penny, should he become a leading player in the squad in that position.

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