Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe would prefer to sign Barcelona forward Ferran Torres over Paris Saint-German superstar Neymar, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Ferran Torres and Neymar?
According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle United are keen on Barcelona attacker Torres and the £167k-a-week star could be put up for sale by his current employers to help ease their financial concerns.
The report states that Barcelona need to raise around £160 million through player sales, with Torres and former Leeds United winger Raphinha candidates to be moved on in the off-season.
As per 90min, Newcastle United owners PIF want to make a high-profile signing at St James' Park this summer and Neymar has been identified as a potential 'marquee' addition to strengthen boss Howe's offensive pool of options.
Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has also been discussed internally by the Magpies' ownership as they have a direct link to the Saudi Pro League outfit.
Nevertheless, Howe has recently cast doubt on the prospect of one of £929k-a-week superstar Neymar or football icon Ronaldo pitching up in the North East any time soon, as per talkSPORT, stating in an interview: “It is best to discover them before they explode onto the world scene. We could not be able to come close to affording those players as they are the best players in the world. We are never going to be in a position currently to afford those transfer fees and wages, so we need to go underneath and find them young and develop them into the players they can be."
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones also echoes the sentiment that it is unlikely that Newcastle United would enter the market this summer to sign Neymar and thinks that Barcelona man Torres would be a more realistic target.
Jones said: “Eddie Howe would probably prefer a signing like that [Torres] than a Neymar because it’s a bit easier for him to control the narrative and also not have that superstar feel to his dressing room.
"I think he wants to put that off for as long as possible to be honest. I know that there’s a need and want from PIF to have those characters in the dressing room, but it doesn’t really reflect who Eddie Howe is.”
Would Ferran Torres be a better signing than Neymar for Newcastle United?
Neymar is a supremely gifted footballer who would be an asset to any elite-level side; nevertheless, he would come with an enormous reputation that would be reflected in the dressing room in terms of power verticles, while there is an argument to say that Torres would be a more sensible signing due to his suitability to Howe's tactical framework.
In 2022/23, Torres made 45 appearances across the 2022/23 campaign, registering seven goals and three assists in total, as per Transfermarkt – while Neymar got 18 goals and 17 assists in just 29 matches.
Capable of playing in a variety of roles, Torres was also a constant menace to defenders this term and managed 1.2 shots per game in La Liga, according to WhoScored.
Torres has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions regarding progressive passes received, averaging a score of around 11.35 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the eighth percentile, as detailed by FBRef.
Given that Torres is still only 23 years old, he would provide more long-term stability than Neymar, who is 31, which is something that Howe will likely factor in when assessing potential signings this summer.