Van Dijk – no relation to Dick – is 20 years old and currently plies his trade at FC Groningen where he is said to have had a ‘breakthrough season’ this season.
According to the Dutch press, FC Gronigen’s General Director Hans Nijland has confirmed our interest in the player and van Dijk’s agent – Martin Henk Chin – has said he is due to meet with Newcastle in April or May, although it should be stressed that the two clubs have had no official talks about van Dijk yet.
Van Dijk started his junior career at WDS19 and then moved to Willem II who didn’t really want to let him go and said:
“We have made every effort to retain Virgil, but he has said he wants a new challenge and would like to develop in a different environment. We obviously wish him every success at FC Groningen.” (more…)
In the frame for the Toon?Newcastle United are being once again linked with Benjamin Corgnet and if reports about a French radio station are correct, Pardew is determined to get his man.
Rumours are circulating one again about our interest in Dijon midfielder Benjamin Corgnet. I’m not entirely sure why they’ve started up again at this stage of the season but the consensus in the press is that he’s likely to move to Newcastle in the summer.
We did make a bid for him in January, about which Dijon Coach Patrice Carteron said:
“He stays. We had a direct approach from Newcastle but Benjamin is of the same opinion as us, and wants to continue to complete a full season in Ligue 1.
“At the end of the season, of course, he will be allowed to leave. It is a good thing for him to be able to stabilise at the highest level. Newcastle’s offer was very high.”
Very high eh? I wonder what sort of offer that was. According to ‘transfermarkt’ he’s valued at approximately £3.1m, although I’m still not sure where transfermarkt gets its valuations from because the French press have been talking in terms of €8m-10m. (more…)
Zaha allegedly a Newcastle United targetRumours abound about Andy Carroll, Ravel Morrison, Junior Hoilett and Wilfried Zaha but so far there has been no action from Newcastle United in this transfer window.
After yesterday’s rumours about Andy Carroll‘s potential return to Newcastle, people have been queueing up to dismiss it all as twaddle. Apparently Newcastle have denied they’ve had any contact at all with Liverpool about Carroll and Carroll himself allegedly Twitted that it was rubbish, although the only quoted denial I could find was from Kenny Dalglish, who yesterday said:
“Och aye the noo, I am worried about the people that invent these rumours. They have absolutely no foundation whatsoever. I don’t need to justify what is in the paper. I have stood up – and always will stand up – for the players.”
And yet the rumours seem to persist and a lot of the press still think Carroll will eventually return to Newcastle, possibly at the end of the season. Make what you will of it! (more…)
Back in black and white?Newcastle United appear to be interested in a couple of strikers if press reports are to be believed, one of which could be Andy Carroll.
The big news to hit the press today is the rumours that Newcastle may be trying to strike a deal to bring Andy Carroll back from Liverpool.
Our friend the Daily Mail says that a top agent rang Newcastle to offer them Carroll for just £20m, which we refused, and then the agent came back and offered him for £15m plus add-ons (whatever they may be), which again was refused by Newcastle. The Mail goes on to suggest that Newcastle are prepared to offer £10m for the player – substantially more than Derek Llambias’s previous estimate that he’s worth “eff all” – as long as Carroll takes a substantial cut in his £90k/week salary.
Carroll has only managed 6 goals in his 31 appearances for Liverpool since his £35m move a year ago in contrast to the 11 he scored for us in 20 games in the half season before we sold him. He has had to content himself with coming on as a substitute for Liverpool more often than getting a place in the starting XI. (more…)
Douglas for the Toon?Newcastle United are pursuing (at least) two centre-backs according to rumours and Alan Pardew insists that Taye Taiwo isn’t one of them.
The rumour-mill has been doing the usual stuff and the latest has Newcastle interested in a pair of defenders.
The first is Douglas Franco Teixeira who is a 6ft 4in, 23 year old Brazilian who – in the tradition of Brazilians – is simply known as ‘Douglas’. Why do they do that anyway? And why isn’t Wayne Rooney simply known as ‘Wayne’, for example?
Anyway, Douglas started his career with Joinville, which sounds like a cartoon place but, as I’m sure you know, it’s in the Santa Catarina State in the south of Brazil. However, he only played two senior games for them before being snapped up by FC Twente where he’s been ever since, netting 8 times in 108 appearances.
