Newcastle eyeing Real Betis’ Natan - Report

Newcastle United will be adding to its squad in the summer, that much we know, but we're now not so sure how many players will be added.

We've all been led to believe that it was going to be a very busy summer for the Magpies with a squad overhaul on the agenda, but Eddie Howe's comments in Friday's press conference, where he spoke about a drip-feed approach to recruitment, have tempered expectations somewhat.

Regardless of what the number will be, there will certainly be some recruitment in the summer, at least we hope so, or else we've got big problems.

There are several positions that need strengthening, and central defence is one of them after Eddie Howe was left with few options to change things around this season following the injuries to Fabian Schar and the sale of Jamaal Lascelles.

Newcastle are tracking £35m-rated Natan

According to The Chronicle, Newcastle are now chasing Real Betis defender Natan Bernardo de Souza, who goes by simply Natan.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has caught the eye of several clubs with his performances for Betis this season, helping them to fifth place in La Liga.

West Ham and Bournemouth are also keen on the former Napoli man, who Betis have valued at £35 million. The left-footer would be cover and competition for Sven Botman at the back, although he could also play on the right side of centre to cover for Malick Thiaw.

The Scouting App noted that Natan has plenty of pace while also being strong in the air and having great attributes for defending and attacking play.

There could be something to this one

Newcastle definitely needs more depth at centre-back, even if Fabian Schar remains at the club as Eddie Howe hopes he will, so there could be something to this story.

Natan definitely sounds like he would be a good signing for Newcastle, but we're not going to pretend we know a great deal about him. The Chronicle mentioned that Barcelona were thought to be interested in him at one point, but moved on to other targets, which makes us feel a bit better about the link.

The fact that Bournemouth and West Ham are our alleged competition for his signature doesn't fill us with great confidence that he's at the level we need, but as we learned last year, going for the same players as the top teams doesn't end well for us.

We know that the new transfer approach is to find players who are under the radar and developing them, so maybe fishing in the same pond as the likes of West Ham and Bournemouth is the way to go. Bournemouth, in particular, has a knack for finding good players and turning them into stars and spinning a profit.

Rumour Rating: 7/10 - Natan fits the profile of a Newcastle player from what we're seeing. The link comes from The Chronicle so it has a bit more credibility than a general football site. There could be something to this one.