Newcastle United’s search for fresh midfield talent continues to gather pace, and the latest name to emerge has sparked real interest across Europe. For months, it has been clear that the club is carefully preparing for the future in midfield, exploring young options who can grow into long-term starters.
With Joelinton approaching 30 and Joe Willock entering the final 18 months of his contract while attracting attention from Crystal Palace, the club’s recruitment team is wisely looking ahead.
Recently, exciting young prospects like Kees Smit and Aleksandar Stankovic have already been linked with moves to St James’ Park. Both players have earned strong reputations in their respective leagues and are seen as affordable talents outside the inflated Premier League market.
Now, another name has entered the conversation, thanks to a Dutch reporter who revealed an interesting conversation with one of Newcastle’s own scouts.
Dutch commentator Jeroen Grueter revealed that a Newcastle representative attended Feyenoord’s recent match against Telstar to watch rising midfielder Luciano Valente. Grueter explained that he spoke directly to the club’s scout, who admitted he travelled specifically to “see him with my own eyes,” showing clear interest in the 22-year-old.
While the scout did not make any bold claims about Valente making an instant impact in the Premier League, he did suggest that the youngster scores highly across many key attributes and has the type of profile Newcastle are monitoring closely.
This link also makes sense considering Newcastle’s recent relationship with Feyenoord. The Dutch club benefited greatly from Yankuba Minteh’s impressive loan spell before he was sold to Brighton, so the two clubs are familiar with each other’s structures and expectations.
Valente himself is beginning to emerge as one of the more intriguing young midfielders in the Eredivisie.
He has contributed one goal and two assists this season and recently earned his first senior call-up to the Dutch national team an achievement that underlines his progress and the growing attention around him.
Standing at 6ft 2in, Valente is a right-footed midfielder who can operate as both a deeper holding player or a more attacking threat. That versatility would fit naturally into Eddie Howe’s 4-3-3 system, where energy, tactical discipline and intelligence are essential.
The bigger question, however, is whether Newcastle truly need another midfielder at this moment. On paper, the squad looks well-stocked in the middle of the pitch.
Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are the established core, while Lewis Miley, Joe Willock and the recently signed Aaron Ramsey provide depth.
Even so, Newcastle have occasionally lacked midfielders who consistently drive into the box and create attacking overloads. That gap becomes more noticeable when Willock is unavailable and right now, speculation continues to grow around a possible January exit for him.
If Willock were to leave, a space would open up immediately. And even if he stays, Newcastle’s long-term planning has become more strategic under the current ownership, focusing on younger, cheaper players with high potential who can step in when needed.
Valente fits that mould perfectly: young, athletic, technically strong and developing quickly in one of Europe’s best talent-producing leagues.
Whether Newcastle eventually pursue him remains to be seen, but the interest is real. A club scout does not attend matches at random, and the decision to monitor Valente in person shows a clear sign of intent.
As the transfer windows approach, supporters should expect more names like his to come up, as the recruitment team continue to build for the next stage of the project.
If Newcastle do decide to move for Valente, they would be getting a promising midfielder who already shows maturity beyond his years. For now, he becomes the latest player added to the growing list of young stars the club is watching closely across Europe.
