Leeds United, Newcastle United interested in Moise Kean

Newcastle United and Leeds United have reportedly emerged as candidates to sign 22-year-old Italian international Moise Kean.

A Premier League return could be on the cards for Italian international Moise Kean, despite a difficult spell with Everton. That is according to a report from French outlet Jeunes Footeux, who claims that Newcastle United and Leeds United are showing interest in the 22-year-old striker.

Moise Kean is actually still on the books at Everton. He has had a torrid spell with the English club, where he has racked up just 1200 minutes of action during his three-year tenure while ending up spending the majority of the time that followed out on loan. Kean was first loaned out to Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan in 2020.

The Italian international flourished in the French capital and regained his striking prowess, netting 17 goals in 41 competitive appearances for Les Parisiens. Kean again left Goodison Park to return to his roots at Juventus last summer on a two-year loan deal, for which the Serie A giants paid a sum of €10 million. The move also included an obligation to buy for €28 million depending if certain parameters were achieved.

However, Kean’s return to Turin has not exactly gone to plan. The 22-year-old’s future is up in the air after failing to force his way into Massimiliano Allegri’s future plans at the Allianz Stadium, netting just six goals in 42 games in all competitions. And with that, Juventus are ready to offload Kean before the summer transfer window slams shut.

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As reported by Jeunes Footeux, Kean has suitors who would like to take him away from Juventus in the form of Premier League clubs Leeds United and Newcastle United. However, neither party are willing to pay more than €20 million for the Everton flop.

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch is looking for a new attacking addition to round off an excellent summer at Elland Road. The American tactician is eager to bring in further competition for Rodrigo Moreno and Patrick Bamford, with the latter’s injury issues prompting Leeds to go for a much younger, and maybe more unproven, option with a high ceiling and future sell-on value.

Kean has long remained on Leeds’s transfer radar and would tick some of the boxes. But the 22-year-old has struggled to settle down at a particular club during the early part of his career and previously had attitude issues as per some reports. So, paying around €20 million for his services would be nothing short of a gamble.

The same goes for Newcastle, who are looking to bolster their striking ranks. The Magpies have had multiple bids rejected for priority target Joao Pedro, with Watford playing hardball over the transfer fee. Kean is a risky alternative. But the Italian international has bundles of talent, and is quick, tenacious, and athletic, with good technical skills and a powerful shot, while he can also drift out into wide areas if needed.

However, this is likely to be a complicated deal to complete because Juventus must first exercise their option to purchase Kean before they sanction his sale. So the Bianconeri will have to take a substantial loss to offload the 22-year-old this summer amid interest from Leeds and Newcastle, which seems highly unlikely.