Alan Shearer urges Newcastle to rival Arsenal for 'excellent' £85m forward

Alan Shearer can see Rodrygo thriving at Newcastle (Picture: Getty)

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has encouraged his former club to pursue a possible transfer deal for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo this summer.

Rodrygo, 24, has won 13 pieces of silverware across his six-year spell with Madrid since arriving from boyhood team Santos in 2019.

In that time, the Brazil international has racked up 68 goals and 50 assists in all competitions for the reigning La Liga and European champions.

However, speculation has been mounting that Rodrygo could be set for a change in the summer after a frustrating campaign, in which he has found the net just six times in the league.

Reports emanating out of Spain indicate that Rodrygo has grown frustrated with his place in the pecking order, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham taking centre stage.

The versatile attacker is said to be strongly considering his future and Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on developments.

It’s understood Madrid are open to the prospect of a summer deal, though it would likely take an offer in excess of £85million to prise Rodrygo away from the Bernabeu.

Madrid are reportedly demanding a fee of around £85m for Rodrygo (Picture: Getty)

The Brazilian has not played for Madrid since the side’s Copa del Rey final loss (Picture: Getty)

Newcastle are not believed to be involved in the race to capture Rodrygo at this stage, but Shearer could see the former Santos man thriving at St James’ Park under Eddie Howe.

‘I think that Rodrygo would do very well in the Premier League – he’s an excellent player,’ Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer, told Betfair .

‘I heard one or two things that maybe last year one or two English clubs were chasing him.

Rodrygo has managed just six goals in La Liga this season (Picture: Getty)

‘If that is the case, that he’s not happy at Real Madrid, then there won’t be a shortage of offers for him to come and play in the Premier League. I think that there would be two or three clubs who would try and get him.

‘I would possibly say Newcastle could be one of those clubs, but that all depends on whether or not he could do it in the Premier League. Could he do it for Newcastle? Yeah, absolutely.

‘That all depends on the finances and the deal that’s there. I wouldn’t put it past them to have a look and whether that would work or not.’

Guimaraes could play a role in convincing Rodrygo to join Newcastle, says Shearer (Picture: Getty)

Shearer can see Bruno Guimaraes playing a key role should Newcastle enter the race for Rodrygo’s signature.

‘I don’t know his personal situation, but I’m pretty sure that there would be two or three clubs chasing him,’ he added.

‘Bruno Guimaraes would know him very well and if it were to be the case, I’m sure that he would speak to him.’

Gracias por todos los mensajes y preocupaciones. Volveré pronto 🙏🏾 Dejen de crear cosas 🤦🏾‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/FKQ0nbWq1O — Rodrygo Goes (@RodrygoGoes) May 14, 2025

Rodrygo has not featured for Madrid since being taken off at half-time in the side’s Copa del Rey final defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona last month.

There have been rumours of a possible fallout involving Rodrygo and team-mates Bellingham and Mbappe in the Spanish media – and this speculation went into overdrive as the Brazilian was seen leaving training early on Tuesday.

But a day later, Rodrygo took to social media to put an end to the uncertainty and clarify the situation, reassuring Madrid fans that he would return to action ‘soon’.

‘Thank you for all the messages and support,’ he wrote.

‘I’ll be back soon. Stop making things up.’