Newcastle United are set to miss out to FC Copenhagen on the signing of Genoa midfielder Lukas Lerager as he nears a move to the Danish capital, accordgin to Danish outlet BT.
The Magpies are trying to secure the arrival of at least one midfielder before the window closes, with Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury seemingly the main target. However, as outlined by Lee Ryder, that deal is dependent on the Foxes bringing in a player first. Newcastle have also been attempting to free up room in the squad for further additions and DeAndre Yedlin is close to an exit, while Matt Ritchie is trying to secure a move to Bournemouth.
It had emerged that the Magpies were interested in mounting a late move for Lerager, with the midfielder also on the radar of Brentford. The 10-cap Denmark international has made 16 appearances in Serie A so far this campaign. However, the move for Choudhury is apparently more likely to come off.
The latest report from BT in Denmark confirmed that the Genoa midfielder is set to join FC Copenhagen in his homeland instead of making a move to England amid the interest of both Newcastle and Bournemouth. It therefore seems that the Magpies will have to move on to other targets.
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Lerager looked like a backup option for the Magpies in case they could not get a deal for Choudhury over the line. The midfielder has shown his ability to offer strong protection to the defence during his time with Genoa, averaging 1.5 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game so far this season. He is also a solid distributor, with an 84% passing accuracy rate in 2020/21 (Sofascore).
It would have depended on the Serie A club’s valuation of the midfielder, with Newcastle lacking the funds to bring in permanent additions. Lerager would have been something of an unknown quantity, but would have at least been someone worth bringing in if they cannot secure the signing of Choudhury.
