Newcastle United had representatives present at Saturday’s match at the Renato Dall’Ara to monitor Gustavo Varela, a 21-year-old Portuguese forward for Monza. Varela has attracted growing interest after he scored nine goals in his first nine Serie A starts. Newcastle was one of several Premier League clubs in attendance, which also included Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton, Brentford, and Fulham. Representatives from RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid were also at the game. Varela has been capped seven times for Portugal's U21 team, scoring four goals. He joined Monza from Benfica II in July 2026 for a fee that was reported to be between €2.5 million and €3.5 million, and his current contract is valid until 2030. The player's current Transfermarkt market value is listed as €5.0M. In October 2026, reports in Italian media valued Varela at approximately €15 million.