Newcastle United are yet to sign a striker and can find their man in Gremio star, Luan Vieira. The striker was heavily linked with Liverpool previously but he has denied the rumours of the Anfield side making any offers. Rafael Benitez is actively searching for a proven goalscorer and will have to convince the Magpies owner, Mike Ashley to shell out £15.75m for the 24-year-old.
Luan has been capped by Brazil on two occasions and is currently one the most impactful offensive players in the Gremio team. He has featured in 131 games for the Brazilian outfit and has netted the ball on 36 occasions while also setting up his teammates on 22 occasions. The centre-forward is versatile enough to appear in any position in the final third. Sometimes the shadow striker role suits him well and was once even a professional futsal player. Luan decided to make a return to the traditional football by joining the Gremio academy.
Luan has been capped at the international level twice for the senior side and 15 times for the U20 and U23 sides. Breaking into the first team might be well within his career ambitions and displaying his talents at a bigger stage like the Premier League will certainly help his chances. Newcastle are in the 15th spot of the points matched with Stoke City and Brighton And Hove Albion and just a point above the relegation scraps. Their return to top-flight English football after spending a season in the Championship has not gone quite as they hoped it would.
Benitez has found it hard to match up to the pressure of the league without much depth from the benches. He has had to work around the limited option he has been provided and has made just one signing in the January window – Kennedy, a left winger from Chelsea.
Dwight Gayle finished last season with a staggering 23 goals but has just managed 3 so far this season. Far from ideal for a starting forward and with Joselu next to him as a supporting striker. Aleksandar Mitrovic is no longer considered for selection as he is in the middle of making a possible exit from St. James’ Park.
Luan’s arrival will give the Toons a heavy boost in their battle for survival in the Premier League. With Jonjo Shelvey set to stay at the club at least for the remainder of the season and Ayoze Perez in decent form, the Brazillian will have some quality to depend on for the supply.
