‘Here we go!’ – Fabrizio Romano confirms Newcastle United deal for Real Madrid & Barcelona transfer target
Jordan Cronin
4 – 5 minutes
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Newcastle United are on verge of signing the Spanish winger, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Cordero is out of contract this summer and Newcastle have held talks over a pre-contract agreement. The 18-year-old and his family visited Tyneside earlier this year and the Magpies have won the race, despite interest from the two Spanish giants and Porto.
On X, Fabrizio Romano confirmed: “Newcastle have completed deal to sign Spanish 18 year old talent Antonio Cordero from Malaga, here we go! Announcement set to take place for Cordero to join #NUFC project. Barça and Real Madrid were both keen on signing Cordero; he picked Newcastle.”
Who is Antonio Cordero?
Born in Jerez in southern Spain, Cordero was on the books at Cadiz, Sevilla and Real Betis before joining Malaga in 2021.
Cordero first broke into Malaga’s ‘B-team’ and caught the eye in the Spanish fifth tier – scoring 12 goals in 17 appearances. He has also been capped for Spain at under-18s and under-19s level.
The winger has since established himself as a regular in Malaga’s first team since making his debut in 2023. In 32 La Liga 2 appearances this campaign, he has scored five goals and provided six assists.
Despite it looking increasingly likely that Cordero would leave this summer, Malaga chief Perez last month still revealed his hopes of him staying at the club.
“I have hope because, and I’ve always said this, I’m no longer saying this as someone who works at Malaga or as their general director,” Perez told PTV Malaga’s Zona Deporte (via Sport Witness). “I’m saying this as someone who works in football. Things will happen and, in the end, we’ll see what happens.
“I see it as logical. I don’t think that whether you’re here or not, people give everything until the end. I’m not one to hold things against others. Whoever is here, as long as they give everything they have, there’s nothing to say.”
The plan for Antonio Cordero & identifying young talent
United signed Yankuba Minteh for £7million in 2023 and was immediately loaned to Feyenoord. A year later, after never kicking a ball in black and white, the Gambian was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £33million to help satisfy Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
Last summer, Newcastle brought in young defender Miodrag Pivas from Serbian outfit FK Jedinstvo Ub before loaning him to Willem II. However, it has not been successful as Minteh’s with the 19-year-old featuring just three times in the Eredivisie.
Paul Mitchell joined Newcastle as sporting director last summer and although he is yet to make a major signing at first-team level, the former Monaco chief has been busy identifying young players with high potential.
Last year, Newcastle announced a deal for Dinamo Tbilisi forward Vaktang Salia, who will officially move to St James’ Park when he turns 18 in August. The Georgian is expected to go out on loan. And in a similar deal, United signed Turkish midfielder Baran Yildiz from Genclerbirligi during the January transfer window. He is set to spend the remainder of the campaign in the under-18s set-up.
Speaking about the importance of signing young talent, Mitchell said last year: “Scouting and recruiting emerging talent is an essential part of building a sustainable future, particularly within the current PSR framework, so the market is fiercely competitive.
“We continue to scout extensively, both domestically and overseas, with a view to securing players who can come through our talent pathway and, ideally, become part of the first team in future.”
