Newcastle United are biding their time as they approach the halfway point of the January transfer window without the arrival of a signing. Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe have both warned the recent spending can not continue, with the former confirming 'potential' rather than emerging superstars or proven performers could be on the cards.
Ivan Fresneda ticks this box, and the 18-year-old is already a man in demand following a breakout season with Real Valladolid. Newcastle have been tipped to make a January move for the full-back, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus among the European heavyweights also credited with an interest.
Reports earlier in the window suggested the Magpies were among the frontrunners to secure a £10m transfer, with a loan-back option included in the deal. Valladolid boss Jose Rojo Martin fanned the flames further of an imminent exit by declaring the teenager only had a 'few games left' with the La Liga side.
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It is a meteoric rise for Fresneda considering he has only made 12 senior appearances in his fledgling career to date. However, Football Espana editor Ruairidh Barlow insists the price tag should be no deterrent for Newcastle despite their acute concerns over FFP limitations.
Barlow told ChronicleLive: "At £10m? A snip, not least for Newcastle. Fresneda could have four unproductive years and at the age of 22 still be worth the same amount. The way they speak of him at Valladolid would suggest he's on his way to European football of some level sooner or later, so if Newcastle are humming and ha-ing, let it not be for the price tag."
Fresneda enjoyed youth spells with Real Madrid along with EMFO Boadilla, CF Quijorna and CD Leganes, before making his first-team debut in a Copa del Rey tie in January last year. The full-back became the first under-18 player to make a senior breakthrough with the club in eight years, and Saidy Janko's loan exit in the summer has opened the door for the teenager to make the starting spot his own.
Fresneda has also enjoyed international recognition after making his under-19 debut for Spain in August. It is a rapid rate of progression for a player who was not billed as 'top prospect' as recently as 2021, according to Barlow.
Asked if the level of transfer interest comes as a surprise, Barlow said: "Yes and no. The degree of interest is surprising to a certain extent, because he has played so few games. He played a couple of times at the end of last season and looked competent, which is all you want from a youngster.
"He has a few caps in the Spanish underage categories, but all in 2022 - this isn't a name that was being spoken about in 2021 as a top prospect and the fact he was at Valladolid is testament to that to a certain extent. Every conclusion we can make is based off limited evidence.
"That said, there is plenty of promise too. Fresneda has bulked out a bit and looks a couple of inches taller than when he first came onto the scene.
"That physical change obviously allows you to compete in a different way to how you did previously, where you have to rely purely on technique and smarts. All the raw materials are there, so the interest is logical.
"At Valladolid - he's very highly rated, and their attitude towards him does suggest that we are dealing with someone who will be headed upwards quickly, but for him to be linked with so many big teams so quickly, is quite something. If anything, it shows just how quickly scouting networks move these days."
Valladolid's stance and the widespread reported interest seemingly confirms the confidence in Fresneda to already make the next step in his career. Barlow has no doubts the teenager has already proven he would thrive in England, but believes he could benefit from spending a further year out of the spotlight with Valladolid.
The Football Espana editor added: "I think he'd cope fine with the Premier League. As said, he has the physical attributes to defend spaces and one-on-one, he's held up (so far) very well. The moving countries is more likely to be an issue, but it's hard to tell how someone will adapt to that.
"I'd like to see him stay at Valladolid for the rest of this and maybe next season if they stay up. That would allow him to settle, grow and become a key part of a side, before he returns to competing for minutes as a rotational option again.
"Valladolid will look after him and allow him space to develop without too much fear. He's obviously battling it out for relegation, but neither his coach nor the fans will turn on him in Valladolid."
Kieran Trippier is an inevitable roadblock for any emerging right-back who agrees to make the move to Tyneside in the coming months. The England international has shown no signs of slowing down at the age of 32, and has shone in both attack and defence for Newcastle this season.
Fresneda would no doubt have to wait for his opportunity to impress in black-and-white, and the lack of immediate game-time could prove a problem for a rising star who is already a first-team regular. However, Barlow also accepts that there is arguably no role model better placed to assist the teenager's development than Trippier.
Barlow said: "In one sense, Trippier is a massive advantage if he does move. He's been in Spain, he speaks a little Spanish, he's a leader and there aren't many better to have mentoring you. Trippier has some appreciation of what Fresneda has come from and into.
"But that's part of the reason I'd like to see him stay at Valladolid, even if he is signed now. Fresneda will only be a back-up at Newcastle. So he'll have limited games, unless Trippier is injured, at which point you're potentially throwing him in cold, against top-class wingers, having played less than 20 professional games.
"This opinion is no reflection on Fresneda himself, but more of general view that players should be playing at that age, but often teams are the ones that want the deal for the income too. He's capable though."
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