Everton hand major transfer blow to Newcastle United

Not too long ago, it had looked like Newcastle United’s search for a striker had come to an end. The club were closing in on a move for Stade Reims sensation, Hugo Ekitike, who had enjoyed a tremendous breakout season last time around, which had been compared to the one Karim Benzema had had at Lyon more than a decade ago.

Thus, it is not hard to see why signing Ekitike would have been considered as a major coup for Newcastle United. But as that saga has dragged on and on, there are serious doubts over the proposed move.

As a result, Newcastle United must have their eyes on other strikers as well and one player that they have been linked with recently is Chelsea’s Armando Broja. But now, they have been handed a blow in the race to sign him this summer by Everton.

As reported by The Athletic, Everton have made an approach to sign Chelsea’s Broja.

Newcastle United handed transfer blow by Everton

Everton might have a slight advantage in the race for Broja over other clubs, thanks to the presence of Frank Lampard as manager of the Toffees.

Broja spent the previous campaign out on loan at Southampton and although he was not prolific in front of goal for them, the striker did show a lot of brilliant qualities and attributes, and he certainly has the potential to be a top player in the future. He is just 20 years of age now and has a lot of room for growth.

Broja is believed to be very highly rated at Chelsea though and while he is being linked with several other clubs as well, Thomas Tuchel is expected to assess the striker in pre-season before any move is made regarding his future. It must also be pointed out that Romelu Lukaku left Chelsea recently and they are short of options up top.