Newcastle United have made another big buy, agreeing a reported $75 million package with Lille to acquire Belgian forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo.
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The 21-year-old Belgian favors center forward and stands 6-foot-2, giving Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle a different profile to Yoane Wissa and William Osula.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Chris Waugh say Fernandez-Pardo will sign a five-year deal with the Magpies, noting that the player was a target for the club while Eddie Howe was still in charge and that Jaissle is also an admirer.
The move is expected to cue up a Serie A loan for German center forward Nick Woltemade.
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Fernandez-Pardo played in three of Belgium’s matches at the World Cup and has five caps. He was also called up by Spain’s youth squads before committing to the Red Devils.
Who is Matias Fernandez-Pardo?
He started in Anderlecht’s academy and moved to Lille before he was 10 years old.
Fernandez-Pardo would later head back home to Belgium where he’d join Gent, scoring eight times in 2023-24 and earning a move back to Lille for a reported $11 million.
Twelve goals and 11 assists in 71 appearances later, Fernandez-Pardo is headed to join Matthias Jaissle’s Toon Army on Tyneside.
Fernandez-Pardo profiles best as a center forward but he also drifts out to left wing, an aggressive player who could fit neatly into Jaissle’s “go-go-go” mentality.
