Newcastle United have held exploratory talks with Manchester City over a potential deal for midfielder Nico Gonzalez.
The 24-year-old is one of a number of options Newcastle are considering to replace Bruno Guimaraes after his £75million move to Arsenal. They are keen to bring in an experienced midfielder to slot straight in before Sunday’s Premier League opener at home to Liverpool.
Gonzalez had been open to a new challenge after failing to cement a regular starting place since making a £50m move from Porto in January 2025.
Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez is keen for first-team football and Newcastle are looking at a move
City remain keen to add Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille and Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea but have sold Rodri to Barcelona for £65m, as well as Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah for £52m. They are also open to similar offers for Gonzalez.
Enzo Maresca’s side have signed Elliot Anderson and want to keep Mateo Kovacic but will be looking to secure more quality for their midfield.
Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle, brought in earlier this month following the exit of Eddie Howe, insisted after Saturday’s 2-1 friendly defeat at home by Bayer Leverkusen that his team will be ready for the new season.
‘We’re not concerned (about Liverpool being so soon),’ he said. ‘We know the reality and we’ll do the best out of the reality. But it’s a huge challenge. You’re all smart enough to see that. But what we can do, it’s pretty simple – we can do our best every day together with the lads we have here.
‘The club knows exactly the needs (on transfers). We stick with the plan. There will be some changes, for sure.’
