A huge claim has emerged on Newcastle United's pursuit of striker Duvan Zapata in the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

Journalist Duncan Castles has claimed that the club have submitted a bid to Serie A outfit Atalanta as they look to secure his services this month.

He tweeted: "Newcastle United offer €30m+ for Duvan Zapata as Saudi-owned club scramble to complete multiple high-value transfers."

Express reporter Ryan Taylor has since claimed that it has been rejected by the Italian club, stating that it was an offer to sign him on loan before making it permanent in the summer.

Best signing since ASM

Howe could land Newcastle's best signing since Allan Saint-Maximin by making another offer and securing a deal to bring Zapata to the club this month.

He is almost the perfect centre-forward and could be a sublime acquisition for PIF to get the Magpies over the line to avoid relegation this season because of what he could bring to the side. The Colombian hitman has a myriad of qualities you'd want in a striker - mobility, pace, strength, technical ability, goals and assists.

In Serie A this season, he has produced nine goals and four assists in 14 starts for Atalanta. This comes after he provided 15 goals and nine assists in the 2020/21 campaign, whilst he has bagged himself six goals and four assists in 11 Champions League starts since the beginning of last season.

Zapata won 54% of his duels in Europe's premier competition last term, whilst also winning 1.9 aerial battles per game. This highlights the strength he could bring to Newcastle, with the forward able to cope with physical contests against defenders.

The Magpies signed Saint-Maximin from Nice in the summer of 2019, and the Atalanta marksman could be the club's best signing since the arrival of the Frenchman. Newcastle did sign Callum Wilson from Bournemouth the following year, but his tally of 18 goals and six assists in the league from the start of last season falls short of Zapata's 24 goals and 13 assists.

Therefore, the 30-year-old, who has scored 78 goals in 152 matches for the Bergamo club, could be one of the best pieces of business from the Magpies since the summer of 2019. This is why Howe must ensure that the Tynesiders are able to convince Atalanta to part ways with him this month, after seeing this initial bid turned down by the Serie A outfit.

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