An update has emerged on Oleksandr Zinchenko amid interest from Newcastle United heading into the summer transfer window.

What's the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Magpies and Everton have both been touted as possible destinations for the Manchester City full-back ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that his future at the Etihad Stadium is up in the air this summer, although there is no mention of how much money it would take to snap him up from the Premier League champions.

The player is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

Forget Matt Targett

Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth must forget Targett after his loan spell on Tyneside and instead secure a deal for the Ukraine international.

They can get St James' Park rocking with excitement by striking a move for the City defender, who is a proven, top-quality Premier League performer who knows exactly what it takes to win trophies.

He has won four league titles since joining the Cityzens in 2017 and racked up 128 appearances for the club in that time, scoring two goals and providing 12 assists.

Pep Guardiola previously heaped praise on the full-back's understanding of the game, saying: “He knows how to play football. He’s playing at a good level, his consistency especially and he is always tactically smart and defensively, he is so, so smart he doesn't make mistakes. He knows what he has to do to help the central defenders."

The City manager added: “For our build up he is fundamental in the way we play. He understands the game perfectly."

These comments show that the 25-year-old would surely be able to adapt to Howe's tactical setups, and his ability in the build-up will be crucial in developing an attacking style of play.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Zinchenko averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.07 in the Premier League as he provided four assists from left-back and created 1.1 chances per game.

He has also been outstanding for his country in their World Cup qualifying campaign, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.48 across five games. In those matches, he scored one goal and produced one assist as he made 2.4 key passes per match.

With that in mind, it's hardly a surprise that Aston Villa reporter Gregg Evans dubbed him a "frightening" player earlier this season.

Meanwhile, Targett averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 in the top flight for Newcastle and Villa combined this season, with one goal and one assist in 33 games. Whilst these are solid statistics from the English full-back, Zinchenko's ability on the ball can elevate the attack with his build-up play and chance creation.

This is why Magpies fans would be excited by the Ukrainian dynamo's prospective arrival, so Howe must now secure a deal to sign him from Manchester City.

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