Newcastle United ponder Jack Harrison bid

Newcastle United are reportedly lining up a bid for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison after being rebuffed in their pursuit of Moussa Diaby and Anthony Gordon.

According to the Daily Mail, Leeds United are braced to receive offers for Jack Harrison as Newcastle United consider making a move for the English winger, who is understood to be a more affordable and feasible option than Moussa Diaby and Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle have already splashed significantly this summer, with Sven Botman, Nick Pope, and Matt Targett arriving at St. James’ Park for a combined £60 million so far. But the cash-rich club’s owners are not planning on stopping there this summer. The Magpies are looking to bolster three key positions before the transfer deadline, including another creative midfielder, on top of a winger and a centre-forward.

Over the last week, Newcastle been associated with a number of wide forwards, including Anthony Gordon and Moussa Diaby, who was Newcastle’s top target. However, the Toon chiefs have not been able to find a breakthrough in both approaches. Everton issued a strict warning that Gordon is not for sale, while there is a big gap between Newcastle and Leverkusen’s valuations of Diaby, who is rated at £60 million by the German club.

So, it seems the Tyneside club have to once again shift their focus elsewhere. As such, Leeds United attacker Jack Harrison’s name has been mentioned as a possible summer transfer target for Newcastle United, who are now seriously mulling over making an official bid for the Whites’ winger.

Embed from Getty Images

Since Leeds’s promotion from the Championship, Harrison has put together two solid seasons in the Premier League. In his debut term in the Premier League, he scored eight goals and assisted as many times in 36 games. He enjoyed another very fruitful campaign last term despite his team’s struggles, raking in eight goals and one assist in 35 outings.

Not to mention, his final day heroics against Brentford sealed Jesse Marsch’s side’s Premier League stay for another season. Add goals and assists in cup competitions to the aforementioned figures, it comes out to be 28 direct goal contributions from 75 outings in the last two seasons, explaining why Newcastle want to sign the Leeds winger and are seriously considering him as a genuine option.

Eddie Howe is understood to be a big admirer of the player’s attitude, work rate and versatility. At just 25, there is still room for development. And while some may consider him as a stepping stone, it is worth mentioning that Newcastle have a need to enhance depth moving into the 21/22 season.

That being said, with Ryan Fraser and Allan Saint-Maximin already the two left-sided options available at the club, and left-footed Harrison primarily operating in a similar position, it would be interesting to see if Howe plans to move Saint-Maximin to solve the need for a goal-scoring right-sided winger.

Nonetheless, Harrison still has two years left on his current contract at Elland Road, meaning Leeds are in a strong position to charge a premium for their prized asset with a £30 million price tag bandied about previously.