Newcastle set £60 million asking price for Arsenal transfer target
Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento and will consider bidding for the defender in the summer transfer window.
Talks over an extension to a contract that will have just two years left to run are yet to materialise and, according to the Telegraph, the 23-year-old is yet to give an indication he is willing to stay.
Newcastle want to keep the England international but are likely to be in a vulnerable position unless Livramento indicated he would prefer to remain at St James’ Park.
The former Chelsea youngster has been a key part of the teams that have made significant progress under Eddie Howe since his £32 million move from Southampton.
Newcastle value the versatile right-back at around £60m which may deter Arsenal given they are understood to be assessing a number of potential targets.
Jurrien Timber is currently firmly established as the club’s first choice right-back, while the club also signed Jaden Dixon from Stoke in January and the teenager made his debut in last weekend’s FA Cup win against Mansfield Town.
Arsenal do need to sell one first team player this summer having spent significantly on arming Mikel Arteta with a squad capable of challenging for major honours.
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Ben White, who like Livramento has two years left on his deal, could be one of those players potentially up for sale and were he to move on Arsenal would view the Newcastle star as a potential replacement.
The Gunners have also expressed an interest in Livramento’s Newcastle teammates Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.
All three players featured in last night’s 1-1 draw against Barcelona after which Eddie Howe said his troops will head into battle next week having told them they have shown they can mix it with Europe’s best.
A 1-1 draw was scant reward for a fine performance against one of the very biggest names in European football and head coach Howe, who described the equaliser as “soft”, is confident they can make life intensely difficult for Hansi Flick’s men on their own pitch.
He said: ‘In the cold light of day when we wake up tomorrow, we’ll see the positives. The tie is very much alive, we played really well.
‘We showed our qualities. We’ve been really competitive. The challenge is we need more on a consistent basis. We’ve showed we can play against the very best when we’re at our best.”
Asked if he felt his team deserved more, Howe said: ‘Yes, we do.
‘A really good performance from the team, very, very good in all phases, really. I thought we limited them with a really good defensive performance from the team and I thought we attacked really well too.
‘Although we didn’t create an abundance of clear-cut chances, I thought there were chances all through the game for us.
‘It was great to see us finally score and then the last attack of the game, the last kick of the game, it’s a tough one to take.’
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