Newcastle United monitoring “extremely quick” Serie A defender ahead of potential January swoop

AS Roma's Wesley, Evan Ferguson. (REUTERS/Matteo Ciambelli)

Newcastle United secured a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, twice overturning deficits in a topsy-turvy Premier League clash.

Injury-time heroics from Bruno Guimaraes and Harvey Barnes – who scored the winner with the last kick of the game – sealed all three points, lifting the Magpies back into sixth place.

Even with the win, Eddie Howe knows January is crucial for reinforcing the squad, and Newcastle have reportedly set their sights on one target.

Newcastle are, according to TEAMtalk, tracking Roma right-back Wesley Franca, the 22-year-old Brazilian who moved to the Serie A side from Flamengo last summer.

This season, Wesley has impressed with three goals and has shown remarkable adaptability, playing across right-back, right midfield, and even on the left wing.

He has also earned five caps for Brazil over the past year.

Described by scouts as “extremely fast” and “exciting,” Wesley fits the profile of the versatile, attack-minded player Eddie Howe favours.

While Roma are in no rush to sell, Newcastle could look to take advantage of January to bolster their squad, particularly in wide and defensive positions, as they push to stay in the top six and maybe, just maybe, even make the top four.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.