Newcastle United are still reportedly in the race to sign highly-rated Real Valladolid full-back Ivan Fresneda in the summer transfer window.
How highly-rated is Fresneda?
The 18-year-old is a player of huge potential, already becoming an established La Liga player at such a tender age, making 22 appearances for Valladolid's first team to date. This season, he has started 16 league games, averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game, as his reputation continues to grow.
It could be that Fresneda is snapped up by a bigger club at the end of the campaign, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2025. Newcastle are one of the clubs who have seemingly been in the race for him for some time, as the Magpies look to make inroads in the transfer market once this season reaches its conclusion.
With Kieran Trippier now in his 30s, the Spaniard could potentially be viewed as a long-term replacement for him, as well as someone who could provide immediate competition from the off this summer. It appears as though Newcastle's interest isn't going away, following a new update.
Could Fresneda join Newcastle this summer?
According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio for Sky Sport 24 [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are still in the race to sign Fresneda, even though AC Milan are "very interested" and look like strong contenders to snap him up. Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund are also thought to be in the mix.
Fresneda could be such an exciting signing by the Magpies in the summer, considering the long-term potential he has, having been hailed as a "remarkably complete" player by La Liga expert Matt Clark in the recent past. As mentioned, he could come in as both direct competition and a future replacement for Trippier, providing Eddie Howe with more squad depth in a position that has arguably lacked it this season.
With Champions League football looking likely to be heading to St James' Park, more rotation will be needed in 2022/23, so Fresneda could be ideal in that respect, coming in as a squad option to begin with, before hopefully growing into a real force. Whether or not Newcastle are able to persuade him to join remains to be seen, considering the calibre of some of the clubs in the race, but their current growth under Howe could be enough to make him think they are the right club to join.
