Lazaro “very happy” to make temporary Newcastle switch
Newcastle United have made their second signing of the January transfer window after confirming the arrival of Valentino Lazaro on loan.
Austria international Lazaro will spend the rest of the 2019/20 campaign at St James’ Park and he will wear the number 23 shirt, which has previously been worn by the likes of Alessandro Pistone and Shola Ameobi.
The 23-year-old joins from Italian outfit Inter Milan, who only signed the midfielder last summer from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin in a deal believed to be worth around £20million.
Newcastle have been hit hard by injuries over the past month and manager Steve Bruce will be delighted to have got a second new face through the door this month, having recently signed Nabil Bentaleb on loan from Schalke.
Just like the Bentaleb deal, it is thought the Magpies have the option to turn Lazaro’s loan move into a permanent stay, with reports claiming a £17m fee has been agreed between both parties.
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Speaking about his switch in his first interview with the club’s official website, the Austrian said: “I’m very happy to be here and can’t wait to meet all my team mates, get out on the training pitch and hopefully get a lot of victories in the future,”
“I’ve only heard great things about the club. I’ve had good talks with the coach so I feel very happy to be here now. Those conversations convinced me that this is the right place for me to come.”
Lazaro isn’t eligible to his Newcastle debut in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash at home to Oxford United but could be handed his debut at home to relegation-threatened Norwich City in the Premier League on 1 February.
Bruce is still looking to bring in another new face before the window closes on Friday week following the season-ending injuries for left-backs Paul Dummett and Jetro Willems, with the latter’s chances of making his loan move permanent decreasing after picking up the knee issue in the 1-0 win over Chelsea.
