Darwin Nunez may not be the only Benfica striker moving to the Premier League this summer after Goncalo Ramos emerged as Newcastle United’s top attacking target.
Eddie Howe is well aware of Ramos’ threat after the 21-year-old opened the scoring in Benfica’s pre-season friendly against Newcastle in July – and if Nunez’s Premier League debut is anything to go by, Benfica is the place to shop.
There is, of course, competition for his services. Already, there has been interest from Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Wolves this window, while Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the Benfica forward.
As reported by i earlier this week, he is now Newcastle’s priority and it is easy to see why. Standing at just over 6ft, the Benfica youngster is known for his ability to hold up play, as well as front a team’s defensive structure with his work rate out of possession.
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Born in the Algarve, Ramos joined Benfica’s youth system at the age of 12, and has featured regularly for their first team in the past two seasons, scoring in their 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final at Anfield last season.
After making his debut for Benfica B in 2018-19, Ramos netted seven goals in the first four rounds of the second tier in 2020-21. This season, he has taken up the chance to star after Nunez’s departure to Liverpool, having struck eight goals in 46 matches last campaign.
There has been some success for his country too. Ramos top-scored at the 2019 European U19 Championship, scoring four goals – twice as many as any other player in the competition. He has also been capped by Portugal at U17 and U21 level, and was part of the squad that finished second in the U21 European Championship.
Newcastle’s summer window so far:
- Matt Targett – Aston Villa, £15m
- Nick Pope – Burnley, £10m
- Sven Botman – Lille, £35m
- Charlie McArthur – Kilmarnock, undisclosed
If signed, Ramos would be a welcome addition for Howe, who has not been able to add to his Newcastle squad for over a month. Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett have all arrived, but Howe has been unable to improve his attacking options – something he is desperate to fix.
The Magpies’ top-scorer in the Premier League last season, Wilson, only hit eight goals. In fact, since Newcastle’s return to the top-flight in 2017, no player has hit more than 12 goals in a single league season. Simply, that has to change if they are to fulfil their aspirations of breaking into the elite.
Ramos would be well-poised to help in that regard, scoring three goals already in Champions League qualifying this season – including a hat-trick against FC Midtjylland.
“The atmosphere was fantastic, I was missing it” he said afterwards. “Only in dreams could it get better than this.”
Howe will be hoping he can bring that sense of dreamland to Newcastle.
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