Newcastle Told To Pay £8.8m For Portugal International Defender

Lorient's president has told Newcastle United they must fork out £8.8 million (‚12.5 million) if they want to lure left-back Raphael Guerreiro to Tyneside this summer, according to reports. L'Equipe carry quotes from the Ligue 1 club's president Loic Fery, who has warned Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and the Magpies that they must meet the valuation if they want to acquire the defender this summer. The 21-year-old has two years remaining on his Lorient contract and he seems to be of interest to the Magpies, mainly due to the fact he can operate at both left-back and on the left-wing.

And, when asked about Guerreiro potentially leaving Lorient, Fery told L'Equipe:

"I don€™t need to explain why we want ‚12.5 million when (Layvin) Kurzawa and (Lucas) Digne are valued today at ‚25 million (£17.7 million). "No one (is) untransferable - but (only) at a fair price."

A two-cap Portugal international - he even netted the winner during his nation's 1-0 friendly victory over Argentina at Old Trafford last November - Guerreiro is extremely highly rated and is known to bomb forward at every possible occasion, a trait both Steve McClaren and Ian Cathro love in full-backs. Described as a somewhat "introverted character", Guerreiro made 33 appearances for Lorient last season, scoring an impressive seven goals from left-back. Throughout his career in all, for both Caen and then Lorient, the 5ft 7in defender has scored eight goals in 108 appearances. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.