Santos ready to sell Premier League target in January
- A host of English clubs are following Marcos Leonardo
- Santos are ready to ask around £20m for their striker
- Domestic rivals Flamengo also considering making an offer
Santos are preparing to sell striker Marcos Leonardo, an emerging talent catching the eye of several top Premier League clubs, in the January transfer window, 90min understands.
90min previously revealed during the summer that Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur had all watched Leonardo at the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
There was also further interest over the summer. West Ham United and Nottingham Forest both held talks but deals were not close to being finalised at that time.
A number of clubs have continued to keep a watching brief on the 20-year-old, who has enjoyed a good season with Santos. Most recently, 90min understands that Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and Brentford have been keeping close tabs on him as they each consider a potential bid in January.
Newcastle are weighing up bringing in a striker this winter given the recent injury to Alexander Isak, as well as long-term worries over Callum Wilson. However, they have financial fair play concerns so a deal for a South American-based player makes sense given the lower cost of a potential transfer.
Santos are believed to looking for around £20m for Leonardo and do expect him to leave in the upcoming transfer window. A move to Europe is the most likely, but 90min also understands that domestic rivals Flamengo have an interest too. They could be losing main striker Pedro whilst the future of Gabriel Barbosa is far from certain either. Leonardo is someone of interest to them.
Serie A side Roma, who showed interest in Leonardo last summer, also remain keen on the player, along with Portuguese giants Porto and Sporting CP.
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