Newcastle United and Manchester United have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra.
The Premier League duo are believed to be two of a number of clubs that have been closely monitoring the highly-rated 20-year-old for some time.
Guerra broke into Valencia's first team in April and played in each of the club's final 10 La Liga games of the 2022-23 campaign, before establishing himself as a first-team regular this season.
The deep-lying midfielder has featured in all 13 of Valencia's top-flight matches so far this term, scoring three goals and registering one assist.
Both Newcastle and Man United are understood to have scouted Guerra in recent months, while Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are the latest clubs to enter the race for his signature.
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Earlier this season, Valencia sporting director Miguel Angel Corona fired a hands-off warning to clubs interested in Guerra and insisted that the Spanish club have no plans to part ways with such "an important player" any time soon.
Guerra put pen to paper on a new four-year contract extension at Valencia in May, keeping him tied to the Mestalla until June 2027 with his new deal including a €100m (£86m) release clause.
However, according to Tuttomercatoweb, via TEAMtalk, Valencia could be prepared to entertain offers between €35m (30.4m) and €40m (£34.7m) in the New Year.
Valencia have been forced to cash in on a number of star players including Carlos Soler, Goncalo Guedes and Yunus Musah in recent years amid financial troubles, much to the frustration of the club's supporters, and Guerra could be the next player to be heading for the exit door.
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Guerra, a Spain Under-21 international, is one of a plethora of midfielders who has been linked with a move to Newcastle, with manager Eddie Howe expected to bolster his options in the engine room during the January transfer window.
The Magpies are having to cope without several injured players as well as summer signing Sandro Tonali, who is serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, leaving them light in the midfield department.
Newcastle could look to step up their interest in Guerra as another of their midfield targets Ruben Neves is reportedly set to stay with Al-Hilal beyond the January window.
Man United, meanwhile, are well-stocked in the midfield department, but the likes of Casemiro, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay have all be linked with a possible exit from Old Trafford.
First-team departures are expected at the Red Devils within the next two transfer windows, with incoming minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe allegedly looking to use the funds generated from player sales to put towards new signings.
Oliver Thomas
