According to reports in the Mail on Sunday, Brighton and Hove Albion and Premier League rivals Swansea City are both interested in making a January move for £8m-rated Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen.
The Mail on Sunday says that the two teams are looking to strengthen their frontlines having scored 28 goals between them in 42 top flight matches this season, and they have been impressed with the 21-year-old’s performances for the Championship outfit this term.
Incredibly, the young winger has worked under four managers – Mike Phelan, Marco Silva, Leonid Slutsky and Nigel Adkins – in the past year, but it hasn’t affected his form on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United remain just one point above the relegation zone following their goalless draw against the Seagulls at St James’ Park on Saturday, and Rafa Benitez will be keen to make reinforcements to his squad in the New Year to ensure they stay away from trouble.
The Spaniard may well be looking at his attacking options considering his side have only scored 19 goals 21 Premier League matches this season, and bringing Bowen to Tyneside could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle must hijack Brighton’s bid to sign the young attacker…
They need more quality in attack
With 19 goals in 21 Premier League matches this term, and with four of those coming from centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark, it is clear to see that Newcastle need a major boost in attack during the January transfer window.
The likes of Christian Atsu, Matt Ritchie, Jacob Murphy and Rolando Aarons aren’t making a huge contribution out wide in terms of having an impact in the final third, and adding a young in-form player like Bowen to their squad could prove to be significant in terms of adding quality and pushing those Magpies stars to up their game.
His strengths
Despite Hull City’s struggles this season, Bowen has shown the quality and potential he has by scoring 11 goals in 24 Championship matches, including the opening goal in their 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.
The 21-year-old loves to run at opposition full-backs and get a cross in too, and according to WhoScored.com he has successfully completed 20 of the 40 dribbles he has attempted this term, while he has made 21 key passes.
WhoScored.com also lists one of the winger’s strengths as his defensive contribution, and that could be an important attribute for Newcastle in the second-half of the campaign as they look to pick up as many points as possible.
Price tag
With no real progress regarding the Newcastle United takeover, Benitez may not have the biggest transfer budget to work with in January.
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It means that he may well be looking to pick up bargains and shopping for players with potential rather than established stars, and Bowen certainly fits into that category.
If the Spaniard can get the promising 21-year-old for £8m he would certainly be pleased, seeing as the winger has shown that he can find the net on a regular basis in the Championship and because goals are what the Magpies are craving right now.
Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.