Newcastle United are yet to make an addition to their squad in the January transfer window, which has been open for business for almost two weeks.
The Magpies have, so far, opted against making additions to Eddie Howe‘s group, but there is still time for the club to dip into the market to find more quality.
Newcastle moved up to sixth in the Premier League table with a dramatic 4-3 win over Leeds United at St. James’ Park last time out in the top-flight, but there is always room to improve the squad with new additions.
Newcastle eyeing up Serie A star
In fact, the Magpies are reportedly looking at several players from Italy who could come in to offer Howe something different in the second half of the season.
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle United are interested in signing Atalanta trio Giorgio Scalvini, Ederson, and Honest Ahanor in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Magpies are keeping tabs on the Italian team’s performances because they hold an interest in all three of those players.
It also reveals that they ‘like’ central midfielder Ederson, who is reportedly valued at up to £34m, because they want to add some more ‘bite’ to their midfield ranks, alongside Joelinton, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes.
TEAMtalk does not outline how likely Newcastle are to make an official approach for the midfield star in the current transfer window, though, as it only states that he is a target for now.
Why Newcastle should sign Ederson in January
The Magpies should push the boat out to bring Ederson to St. James’ Park this month because he could be Bruno Guimaraes’ 2.0 for Howe in the middle of the park.
Like the current Newcastle star, the Atalanta central midfielder is a Brazilian dynamo who can provide quality in and out of possession in midfield, based on his performances in Italy in recent seasons.
In fact, if you take their respective performances in the Premier League and the Serie A during the 2024/25 campaign, Ederson appears to offer even more to his side than Bruno.
![[FBCharts] Éderson Comparisons](https://www.eucup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fbcharts-derson-comparisons.png)
The chart above shows that they were very similar in a host of possession and attacking metrics, but the Atalanta star offered more to his team defensively, with more tackles and interceptions per 90 and a greater success rate in duels.
As well as being a midfielder who can break up play as a combative force in the middle of the park, Ederson has scored 13 goals in 138 Serie A matches, per Transfermarkt, with four or more league goals in two of the last three seasons.
This means that, like Bruno, who has scored 20 goals in 144 Premier League games, per Transfermarkt, the Atalanta ace can provide a decent goal threat from a midfield position.
Ederson, who was dubbed “out of this world” by Fabio Capello for his well-rounded midfield play, has been at a similar level to Bruno from a defensive perspective in the 2025/26 campaign, having outperformed him generally in all competitions over the past 365 days.
25/26 season
Ederson (Serie A)
Guimaraes (PL)
Appearances
15
20
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.6
2.7
Dribbled past per game
0.7x
1.0x
Blocks per game
0.2
0.1
Ground duel success rate
53%
51%
Aerial duel success rate
42%
36%
As you can see in the table above, the £34m-rated star could offer slightly more in terms of his efficiency defensively, but they are both combative midfielders who like to get stuck in.
This means that Ederson could be a brilliant alternative to Bruno, or even a midfield partner, when the current Magpies star needs to be rested, or substituted.
The Brazilian star’s performances in the Serie A suggest that he has the physical, defensive, and technical attributes required to be an excellent addition to the squad, as a midfielder who can do a bit of everything, which is why he could be such an exciting signing.
That is why PIF must swoop to get a deal done for the 26-year-old star, who is in the prime years of his career, to bolster Howe’s squad before the end of the January transfer window.
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Newcastle in pole position to sign “exceptional” Brazil international
The defender, who has emerged as an exciting talent in recent years, would be a great addition for the Magpies.