Newcastle Spur-red Bacca to basics with Carlos of Sevilla linked

Premier League duo Newcastle and Tottenham are being linked with Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca. The Colombian hitman has struck 14 goals in 25 La Liga appearances for the Bathtubs this season, which has alerted a number of clubs.

Spurs’ head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell flew to Germany recently to watch the 28-year-old in action in the Europa League in his team’s 3-2 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, where he opened the scoring.

Bacca reportedly has an £18m buyout clause in his contract and, taking his age into account, the north London outfit wouldn’t get much, if any resale value. With the futures of Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor in doubt, it means that Harry Kane is the only senior striker, though having scored 24 goals in 39 appearances this term across all competitions it isn’t like they will struggle for goals.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are 11/2 with Coral for a top four finish this season, though to better that, they may need to recruit another top striker to compete with or complement Kane. Bacca would fit the bill and definitely has all of the attributes to acclimatise to the Premier League and be a handful for defenders.

Newcastle are also said to be interested, but his price tag may deter the Tyneside team. The Magpies definitely need another striker; however, having brought in four forwards last summer, with only Ayoze Perez showing any real potential.

Therefore, there could be a reluctance from Mike Ashley to part with such a big sum, despite backing the club well in the past. If they are able to offload some players, they may raise enough to make a credible bid, however with Spurs also interested, the last thing Ashley would want is to engage in a bidding war.

The Toon are 6/4 for a top 10 Premier League finish this term and it is likely that a player of Bacca’s quality will want Europa League football at the very least.