In his latest piece for The Mail, Craig Hope has been discussing a few Newcastle United transfer rumours that have cropped up over the past few weeks.
Here is a rundown of each, giving you the best bits from his latest Confidential column as we approach the January window.
Kees Smit (AZ Alkmaar)
Starting with the story he broke last week, Hope reveals that Newcastle have ‘live interest’ in AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit.
He reports that there is big competition for the 19-year-old, with Premier League and European rivals also keen, but there is ‘hope’ that a package could be agreed to land the attacking midfielder.
Alkmaar want ‘between £20-25m’ and it’s thought a development plan could also be put forward that may appeal to the Dutch Under-21 international.
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)
Moving to another midfield target, it seems Newcastle’s chances of landing Elliot Anderson are much lower, as things stand.
Eddie Howe would like to have him back and former Forest chief Ross Wilson may explore the possibility, but a fee in the region of or above £100m is likely to be prohibitive, especially so soon after his £15m sale.
It’s also thought that Anderson will have no end of big offers in 2026. Both Man City and Man Utd are circling, with Spanish giants also tipped to join the race for his signature, so there is no guarantee his heart would be set on a return to the North East when the opportunity to win European titles may be on offer.
Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge)
Earlier this week, reports in South America claimed Newcastle are actively pursuing Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez.
Responding to those links, Hope confirms that the 21-year-old Ecuadorian has been watched by Toon scouts, with a number of Premier League clubs in the mix.
A firm move for the versatile defender, who can also play at right-back, hasn’t been ruled out, but Hope believes our pursuit hasn’t gone past the scouting stage at this point.
Rayan Vitor (Vasco de Gama)
Another South American linked this week has been 19-year-old Vasco de Gama star Rayan Vitor, with The i’s Mark Douglas reporting that Steve Nickson has made enquiries over a potential move for the Brazilian.
Hope, however, suggests that this is a link that’s been driven by agents, who are pushing to land the teenage forward a big move to the Premier League.
He states that Newcastle are aware of his displays in Brazil and have been contacted by ‘several agents’ over a possible deal, but he believes it hasn’t gone beyond that as of yet.
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