Newcastle make move to sign star hailed 'world-class' by Jurgen Klopp
Newcastle have made contact over a deal for Richard Rios, who has been hailed as "world class" by Jurgen Klopp.
Rios has emerged as a target for the Magpies as they look to sign another new midfielder this month.
Prospective new boss Matthias Jaissle is having to contend with losing a key man as soon as he arrives on Tyneside, with Bruno Guimaraes set to join Arsenal.
Sources have told Football Insider that the Gunners are nearing a full agreement to sign the 28-year-old, who could leave Newcastle's La Manga training camp on Wednesday to complete a move.
Rios is firmly on Newcastle's radar with sources saying that the club have made a preliminary move for him as they accelerate plans to sign a central midfielder.
Should a deal be agreed, Rios would arrive at St James' Park as a direct replacement for Guimaraes, following an impressive debut campaign at Benfica.
His stock has risen tenfold over the last few seasons after he spent the early years of his career in relative obscurity in Brazil, with Premier League legend Klopp very aware of his abilities too.
Jurgen Klopp has dubbed Richard Rios 'world class' after Endrick challenge
Benfica broke their transfer record as they splashed out just over £23million to prise him from Palmeiras last summer.
He found it tough to break into the starting eleven at the start of the campaign under Jose Mourinho, but ended it strongly and eventually registered 14 goal contributions in 45 appearances.
Rios has become a leading figure of the Colombian national team, with 37 appearances for his country since his debut in 2023.
The 26-year-old is officially sponsored by Red Bull, and he appeared in YouTube video on their channel doing football challenges alongside former teammate Endrick in June.
Klopp was watching on as the stars completed a first touch task, and he was blown away by how Rios performed the challenge without breaking a sweat, saying: "First touch and he got it right first time. World-class players make these things look easy. This is world-class, plain and simple. I’d say this challenge is almost impossible, and they pulled it off with ease. Well done."
How Rios' 2025-26 stats compare to Guimaraes
Sources have exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Guimaraes told Eddie Howe he wanted to leave Newcastle weeks before the 48-year-old left the club himself.
He is now on his way out of the club, with Rios potentially set to replace him in the starting eleven alongside some other new signings.
Looking at their league stats from last season, Rios emerged with more successful dribbles, blocks and interceptions per 90 minutes for Benfica.
He still has a way to go to outperform Guimaraes, it seems, after he had better stats for tackles, clearances, passes, long balls and chances created per 90 in the Premier League.