Newcastle United needs to halt on £40m talented Aston Villa forward

Newcastle United had quite a cold transfer window, missing out on key reinforcements like Marc Guehi and Anthony Elanga, apart from losing on Yakuba Minteh. With the club having gone pretty silent for the last two transfer events, significant pressure has been piled up on the newly appointed Paul Mitchell to do key signings in the next transfer window.

Newcastle United needs to halt on £40m talented Aston Villa forward

Failing to bring in any marquee signings in the summer, the fans are pretty much frustrated with the club, wanting to see a high-profile player arrive soon. However, although there has been a significant demand for a statement signing, it looks better if Paul Mitchell doesn't bid for £40m forward.

In the summer, Aston Villa's talented prodigy John Duran was on the lookout by various clubs, including significant interest from Newcastle. The Colombian striker had come pretty close to leaving Unai Emery's side, but negotiations couldn't be finalized till the very end, keeping him at the club. While there is no doubt about the player's utility, it looks certain that his Newcastle move could disrupt the club's balance.

Given the kind of form the 20-year-old is in, already having netted five times this season, the Colombian prodigy poses enough to take on any backline on his day. However, his Newcastle move might very well affect the club's core, as being in top form recently, Duran would never prefer playing under the shadow of star forward Alexander Isak at Newcastle.

As has been Eddie Howe's preference, Isak has been the priority forward at the club for quite some time now and looks set to continue for more years. Analyzing the negligible probability of manager Howe shifting to a two-forward formation just to fit in their potential signing of Duran, his Newcastle move would create problems for both parties.

What has been the most concerning part is that reports suggest Unai Emery is still open to Duran's sale, and thus, Newcastle needs to be conscious of not foolishly spending on him. While he could go on to become one of the best forwards next season, Newcastle's project could be a major misfit for him and the Magpies club. Thus, overall, Eddie Howe's side needs to be halted before proceeding with the £40m prospect in the January window.