Newcastle transfer news: Joelinton ‘succession plan’ revealed as Serie A star ‘mentioned in recruitment meetings’

Newcastle United’s recruitment department may soon construct a 'succession plan' to midfielder Joelinton, according to a report.

The 29-year-old is considered a fans’ favourite at St James’ Park having transformed into an influential member of Eddie Howe’s first-team squad in recent years.

Joelinton initially arrived at Newcastle as a striker in 2019, but the £40m signing from Hoffenheim failed to make the desired impact in the final third before Howe transformed him into a powerful midfield unit.

The Brazil international has made a total of 234 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions, contributing with 31 goals and 21 assists, and he played his part in helping the Magpies end their 70-year trophy drought with last season’s EFL Cup triumph.

Joelinton has built a strong partnership in the middle of the pitch with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, but that impressive midfield triumvirate has not performed at the highest level on a consistent basis this term, with the former, in particular, having struggled for form.

Out-of-sorts Newcastle weigh up Joelinton ‘succession plan’

While Newcastle have picked up six points from a possible nine available in the Champions League, Howe’s men have only won three of their opening 10 games in the Premier League and most recently suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat at West Ham United last weekend.

The Magpies are yet to play against a single team higher than 10th away from home this season, yet they remain winless on the road (D3 L2) and find themselves languishing in 13th place in the top-flight standings.

Many will argue that Newcastle are still adapting to life without Alexander Isak and have suffered during the absence of injured full-backs Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, who play a major role in building attacks from wide areas when fit.

Joelinton's form and fitness, meanwhile, is understood to have been discussed internally, with The i Paper claiming that there have been ‘a few voices’ suggesting that Newcastle need to construct a succession plan to their No.7.

The report adds that Atalanta BC midfielder and Joelinton’s Brazilian compatriot Ederson is one of the names that has been mentioned in recruitment meetings at St James’ Park.

In-demand Ederson continues to be linked with Atalanta exit

Ederson has established himself as an integral first-team player for Atalanta, with only teammate Marten de Roon (4,292) and Marco Carnesecchi (3,960) playing more minutes than the three-cap Brazil international (3,839) last season.

After helping Atalanta finish third in the 2024-25 Serie A table, Ederson experienced a disrupted start to the current campaign through injury and has since featured in seven matches in all competitions, though La Dea have only come out on top in one of those (D5 L1).

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old’s performances in recent years are understood to have caught the attention of several top European clubs, with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City said to have been keeping tabs on his progress in Italy, along with Newcastle.

Ederson is believed to be valued by Atalanta at around €60m (£52.6m) and he has less than two years remaining on his contract at a club where he has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons.