Newcastle United have offered a fee of over €30million for Colombia international Duvan Zapata. The proposed deal is one of a number of high-value transfers being worked on by an ad hoc recruitment team as the Saudi Arabia-owned club's scrambles to buy a way out of relegation from the English Premier League club.
While Atalanta are open to selling Zapata – who has scored 65 goals in 118 Serie A appearances for the Italian club – they are understood to value the 30-year-old at around €45m.
Zapata, under contract in Bergamo until 2023, is said to be open to moving to St James' Park should the two clubs ultimately agree a fee.
Under pressure to preserve the Premier League status that cost Saudi's Public Investment Fund and her other co-investors an initial £305m to wrest from Mike Ashley in October, Amanda Staveley's player recruitment team is attempting to add another striker to last week's hurried £25m release-clause signing of Burnley's Chris Wood.
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