4 Juventus players already linked with a move to Newcastle United

News of Newcastle United’s £300m Saudi-backed takeover stunned the footballing sphere last week.

The moral controversy over the new ownership has been well-documented, with their financial might heavily speculated. In short, they’re rich. Really rich. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (who now own 80% of the club) is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the son of Saudi Arabia’s king.

The Magpies’ gargantuan wealth will become distinct in the coming years, with the club poised to be leading protagonists in transfer rumour mills across Europe for the foreseeable future. And already, we’ve seen some of Juventus’ stars being linked with a move to North East England.

Some are plausible while others are nonsensical, and here are all the rumours we’ve seen thus far.

Aaron Ramsey

Plausible, right? Most certainly.

Aaron Ramsey is one of several players Juventus could ties with in January, with the Welshman failing to win over the trust of Massimiliano Allegri despite a fairly promising pre-season.

His form for the national team shows there’s still plenty left in the tank, and the Bianconeri could garner a generous fee for the midfielder should Newcastle make a bid.

While reports of the Magpies having already made contact with Ramsey are supposedly false, there does seem to be serious legs to this link. It’s easy to envisage the 30-year returning to the Premier League and St. James’ Park may be the optimal place to reignite his club career.

Likelihood Rating: 7/10

Adrien Rabiot

This is another link that doesn’t seem too absurd.

Adrien Rabiot has seen plenty of the field this season from a hybrid function, but he continues to infuriate Juventini and frustrate his manager. Allegri constantly bemoans the Frenchman’s lack of assertion in the final third.

Rabiot is an elegant footballer and can be useful on his day, but he’s certainly expendable. It’s quite hard to depict what he’s actually good at.

Nevertheless, the former Paris Saint-Germain sulker must be doing something right because he’s earned the overwhelming trust of national team boss Didier Deschamps and has caught the eye of Newcastle’s new owners. Calciomercato understands Rabiot is being monitored by the Magpies ahead of a potential move in January.

While highly unlikely, the rumour’s fairly plausible.

Likelihood Rating: 3/10

Matthijs de Ligt

Okay, now we’ve made a giant leap across the plausible/absurd spectrum.

Perhaps it was Mino Raiola’s comments in September that sparked this mini media frenzy over Matthijs de Ligt’s future in Turin. However, the Dutchman’s tied down to Juventus until 2024 after joining the club in 2019 and is playing some of his best football under Massimiliano Allegri at the start of the 2021/22 season.

He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Spanish outlet Sport, though, have other ideas and have suggested Newcastle could line up a move for De Ligt next summer as they attempt to bolster their defence. Tuttosport, meanwhile, report that Juve’s brilliant centre-half is one of five names under consideration by the Magpies.

Not only would it take an extortionate fee to prise De Ligt away from the Bianconeri, but Newcastle would also have to do plenty of convincing to seduce to player into swapping Piedmont for the north of England.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Likelihood Rating: 0/10

Federico Chiesa

In fairness, Newcastle are one of the few clubs that’d be able to afford Federico Chiesa. And while I’d love to watch Chiesa strut his stuff in the Premier League one day, surely it won’t be at St. James’ Park.

Nevertheless, various Italian media outlets, including TuttoSport (via The Sun), ‘understand’ that Newcastle are ready to rival the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Bayern Munich for the 23-year-old’s signature whose rise to superstardom is inevitable. Juventus regard Chiesa as “untouchable” and only a bid in the region of €150m would likely entice the Bianconeri to the negotiating table.

Then, like De Ligt, you also have to factor in whether Chiesa would even be open to the move, however exciting the project is. For now, this deal is all but impossible. Although, things could change in the next five years should Newcastle embark on their expected ascendance under new ownership.

Likelihood rating: 0/10