A major update has emerged on Newcastle United's chances of landing Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the end of the season.
What's the talk?
According to Football Insider, a recruitment source has revealed that the striker will leave Everton this summer irrespective of the result of their fight against the drop.
The report claims that the attacker has told friends that Arsenal is his preferred destination as the Gunners and the Magpies compete for his signature.
His current contract at Goodison Park expires in 2025 and it was reported in January that the Toffees value him at a whopping £60m.
Eddie Howe will be fuming
The Toon head coach will surely be fuming with this news as it suggests that Newcastle are set to miss out on a deal for the England international.
He missed 16 games earlier this season because of a fractured toe and it has seemingly put him off his rhythm in the Premier League as he has struggled for goals. The attacker has only scored three times in 13 outings and this does not suggest that he would be an outstanding signing for the Magpies, but that is far from the case.
With a full pre-season under his belt, he has the potential to get back to his best and he has previously shown that he has the quality to be a major player at Premier League level. Last term, he found the back of the net 16 times in 32 starts as he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10.
In 2019/20, Calvert-Lewin scored 13 goals and provided one assist in 30 starts and averaged a score of 6.95 for Everton. This means that he plundered 29 goals in two top-flight campaigns whilst being fit for the majority of the time.
Richarlison previously lavished the attacker with praise as he said: “He’s had a superb start to the season and without doubt deserved his England call-up. He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Academy coach John Ebbrell also lauded the striker's ability in the air as "prodigious" and these quotes, coupled with his statistics in recent seasons, suggest that Calvert-Lewin can be a sublime signing for Newcastle if he can get back to his best.
This is why Howe will be fuming with the player favouring a move to Arsenal as it stands. The head coach will be gutted that it appears unlikely that the Magpies will be able to secure a deal for him, given his preference in clubs as it stands.
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