Newcastle United have tended to focus on signing younger players since the takeover.

Newcastle have not quite gone down the Chelsea route of splashing huge sums of money on players yet to have proven themselves but there has been a clear focus on building for the future.

Headline signings in Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali were all in their early-to-mid-twenties upon their respective arrivals at St James’ Park.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule in the form of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Chris Wood and Nick Pope but it has been a notable policy under PIF ownership.

So then, it’s hardly surprising to see them linked with another developing talent.

However, Newcastle may not have it all their own way in pursuit of him.

Everton are now beating Newcastle United to a potential transfer this summer

According to The Sun, Newcastle are one of the clubs tracking a move for Freiburg midfielder, Merlin Rohl.

The 21-year-old is said to be of interest at St James’ and will reportedly cost around £12m to sign.

It is Everton, however, who are said to be leading the race to sign him.

The Toffees are believed to have scouted the German U21 international and view him as a potential replacement for Amadou Onana, who has been linked with the Magpies.

Crystal Palace are also thought to be interested but Everton are said to be the frontrunners at this stage, albeit there is still some way to go before the transfer window opens.

Who is Merlin Rohl and what is his style of play?

Rohl is a central midfielder who joined Freiburg from boyhood club FC Ingolstadt in 2022.

According to Transfermarkt data, the midfielder has played in a variety of positions this season, ranging from an orthodox central role over to both wings and as a support striker.

He’s scored three times and registered four assists in 34 appearances across all competitions and has previously been described as the “complete midfielder” by former Ingolstadt coach, Tomas Oral.

Current manager Christian Streich said of Rohl: “He’s got pace, great movement. He can be a real difference-maker, and he completely identifies with the club.”

Related Topics