Newcastle United plot ambitious swoop for Barcelona duo under Saudi leadership – Reports

The Barcelona duo of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are the two players on Newcastle United’s shortlist, according to Spanish publications MARCA and Sport (via Sports Mole).

Following their big-money takeover by a Saudi-led consortium, Newcastle United have become one of the richest clubs in world football. They could theoretically rival the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in the January transfer window.

According to Sport, Coutinho’s representatives held talks with the Newcastle United owners prior to their purchase of the club. Now that the deal has gone through, the Barcelona playmaker could make a move to north east England, provided the Magpies agree on a price.

Barcelona were prepared to offload Coutinho in the summer for a fee of €50 million, something Newcastle can easily pay after the arrival of their new owners. According to the aforementioned source, the Brazilian is willing to get back in the Premier League after leaving Liverpool in 2018.

Dembele is another Barcelona player who has been linked with a move to Newcastle United. The 24-year-old winger has entered the final year of his Barcelona contract. This means that the January transfer window could be the last chance for the Catalan giants to get a fee for their injury-prone star.

Barcelona and Newcastle United have contrasting financial conditions

Newcastle United and Barcelona are currently on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to financial conditions. The Magpies have overnight become one of the richest clubs in world football while Barcelona are going through one of their toughest periods in recent history.

FC Barcelona are currently deep into a financial crisis. Conditions were so poor that the club failed to offer a new contract to Lionel Messi which saw the six-time Ballon d’Or winner join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

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Barcelona have been forced to sign free agents and make do with loan moves to strengthen their squad for the new season. However, if they are able to receive big offers from a club like Newcastle for either Dembele or Coutinho, it could help them slightly recover from their financial mess.