The £20m transfer raid which could see Newcastle spoil Sunderland’s plans this January
Newcastle and Sunderland are being linked with the same midfielder - could the Magpies spoil their rivals’ January transfer plans?
In just a couple of weeks, Newcastle will get a chance to spoil Sunderland’s Christmas when the first Tyne & Wear Derby of the season takes place at the Stadium of Light – and just a couple of weeks later, they may well be able to ruin their January transfer window, too.
Sunderland have spent much of the last few weeks pursuing former Arsenal midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, currently on impressive form with Lazio in Serie A – but now it looks as though there’s a very real chance that their local rivals might make a bid too. So why is a transfer battle brewing over a player who struggled to make his mark on the Premier League the first time around, and can Newcastle get one over on their neighbours this winter?
Why Newcastle & Sunderland are keen on Mattéo Guendouzi
Guendouzi’s first tilt at the Premier League, with Arsenal between 2018 and 2020, started in promising fashion but ultimately fizzled out, with the Frenchman sold to Hertha Berlin before spending time with Marseille and then moving to Lazio in 2024.
Back then, a younger Guendouzi struggled to impose himself consistently on matches and made rather too many mistakes to generate an entirely positive impression – but now, at the age of 26 and with some more experience under his belt, he’s a very different proposition.
More consistent, more technically adept, smarter with his movement and playing less as a traditional defensive midfielder than as a dynamic ball-carrier who attacks the channels down the right side of Lazio’s midfield three, Guendouzi has become a fine dribbler with an incisive passing game who can spark quick attacks and advance possession downfield with speed and precision.
For teams that play with a compact and aggressive midfield three – a description which just so happens to apply to both Sunderland and Newcastle – he looks like a natural fit. He’d give Sunderland some of the progressive quality their determined and disciplined midfield could be said to lack, and could freshen up a Newcastle midfield that lacks little but depth on paper, but which hasn’t been as imposing as it has in previous seasons under Eddie Howe.
Guendouzi has come a long way since he took those baby steps at the Emirates seven years ago. He’s a ball-winning midfielder who contributes plenty going forward, precisely what both of the North East’s Premier League teams want from their midfielders – but how is their supposed tug-of-war shaping up?
Will Newcastle beat Sunderland to Guendouzi’s signature this January?
Sunderland’s interest in Guendouzi is well-attested at this point, with a number of sources in the Italian media discussing the Black Cats’ attempts to sign the midfielder – with Calciomercato even reporting that a £20m offer has already been made to Lazio.
Recently, however, reports suggest that Newcastle are in the bidding as well, with Aston Villa also mentioned in one or two stories. Newcastle’s interest has been reported more frequently, however, and Howe’s side were supposedly considering a bid back in the summer as well, making it eminently believable that they could make a move of their own. They may also be more likely to succeed.
In the past week, a report from La Republicca suggested that Guendouzi simply wasn’t interested in a move to Wearside, apparently because he wants to ensure that he’s playing European football – something Newcastle can offer but Sunderland cannot. If that story is accurate, then Sunderland may be forced to look on as their fiercest rivals sign the player they had hoped would be wearing red and white in the new year.
Lazio, for their part, are unlikely to stand in Guendouzi’s way due to a moderately difficult financial situation – they need to sell to buy going forward, and while they will push to get more than £20m (reports suggest they want something closer to £25m if they can get it), they don’t have quite as strong of a negotiating position as they might like.
There is no guarantee that he will leave Lazio just yet. Tuttomercato journalist Marco Conterio claims that his manager, Maurizio Sarri, wants to keep him if possible while Guendouzi’s own apparent reluctance to move to the Stadium of Light doesn’t suggest a player in a desperate rush to move. But if the bids do come in, then Newcastle appear to be pulling ahead of the field – and Sunderland could be left high and dry.