Newcastle have stepped up their move for Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, with the Real Betis winger now viewed as a serious left-sided option if Anthony Gordon moves on. Scouts watched Ezzalzouli twice last month, and Chronicle Live was told there had been no bid as of the weekend. The latest reporting says Newcastle have held talks over a big-money deal, so this is already beyond loose background interest.

Why Ezzalzouli is on Newcastle's list

The case for Ezzalzouli is obvious enough from the numbers. He finished last season with 15 goals and 13 assists in 43 appearances for Betis, and his league return alone was 10 goals and 8 assists in 29 La Liga games. He also added 4 goals and 1 assist in 12 Europa League appearances, which matters because Newcastle are not chasing a pure highlight-reel winger. They are chasing output.

His last five matches brought 1 goal and 1 assist, and he scored and assisted in the win over Oviedo while Newcastle scouts were watching. That sort of timing does not hurt. Ezzalzouli has also talked with a bit of edge about his mentality, saying: "I like criticism to shut them up. Whoever they put in front of me, I'll eat them alive."

What the deal could still hinge on

This is not a clean run at the player. TEAMtalk reported interest from Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Barcelona, while other reporting has put his release clause at €60m, with Betis willing to negotiate slightly below that for serious offers. That is the sort of market that can slow things down even when a club has identified its target early.

Newcastle's own position explains the urgency. They finished 11th in the Premier League, and a left-wing upgrade fits the way this summer is shaping up for them. Ross Wilson said the club's conversations around Gordon had been handled "confidentially and with a great deal of professionalism on all sides," which is hardly the language of a club pretending there is no succession planning going on.

For now, the facts are simple. Newcastle are talking, they have scouted Ezzalzouli twice, and there has been no bid yet. If that changes, it will tell us a lot about how quickly they want to settle the Gordon question before rivals force the price up.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →