Newcastle are understood to be seeking in excess of £15m to sell Miguel Almiron after MLS side Charlotte FC failed with a bid worth roughly half of that.
There is interest in Almiron from Saudi Arabia, with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq having held preliminary talks earlier in the summer, along with other clubs overseas, but Newcastle clearly face a dilemma on a player whose contract runs for another two years.
Their asking price – communicated to Charlotte FC earlier in the week when talks between the two clubs began – takes into account a sizeable sell-on clause inserted in the deal when he moved from Atlanta United in 2019.
It also reflects his status in Eddie Howe’s plans, with the Newcastle manager – like he was when Almiron considered Saudi interest in January – happy for him to stay beyond the 30 August deadline.
The MLS return always felt like a non-starter with Almiron’s wage demands also too pricey for Dean Smith’s Charlotte.
The player is understood to be settled in the North East and not actively seeking a move away, although all parties admit he falls into the category of Newcastle players who could depart for the right price.
Profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR) – which remain, frustratingly, high on the agenda on Tyneside – mean everyone has a price at St James’ Park.
Almiron’s future has come to sum up the transfer frustration at Newcastle, where a third Marc Guehi bid this week has not yet been enough to persuade Crystal Palace to sell a player they rate at a flat £65m.
With no significant additions despite having funds to recruit, there are questions about whether Newcastle are being dynamic or daring enough in their approach to refreshing a squad that clearly needs upgrades.
But while there is a feeling in some quarters that Newcastle need to press the reset button and prepare to refresh the squad by selling Almiron and other first-team squad players, internal opinion differs.
Insiders have told i Almiron is considered an “important player” in the squad and is a central part of Howe’s plans for the 2024-25 season. While the club are open to a sale to free up PSR headroom and allow them to strengthen, there’s no driving desire to move him on.
Indeed, sources inside the club point to Almiron’s work ethic and output – along with his popularity among coaches and his teammates – as a reason why they are happy to include him as part of their plans for next season.
Clearly some form of succession planning has begun at Newcastle, with i revealing back in June that Noni Madueke of Chelsea is one of their targets and counts Howe as a huge fan. He is seen as having sizeable potential while also improving the first team in the short-term – the two non-negotiables for recruitment this summer.
Fiorentina’s Nico Gonzalez and Anthony Elanga, who they approached Nottingham Forest about earlier in the summer, are also on their right winger wish list, but the sort of numbers being talked about could be beyond them given PSR restrictions.
That kind of talk infuriates a section of Newcastle fans, but June’s scramble to comply with the rules is a warning of the dangers of over-spending. The reality is that if they do complete a deal for Guehi, it’s likely departures would need to follow for them to spend again.
It feels like a critical point in the post-takeover world at Newcastle after a summer of turbulence.
The spotlight is on new director of football Paul Mitchell and their recruitment stance, and those advocating for a more radical overhaul in the summer – and the sale of Howe favourites Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier to forcibly move the club on to the next phase – will feel vindicated if Newcastle stumble when the season kicks off.
But perhaps they need to take a beat at the moment. There’s still a fortnight left in a remarkably flat transfer window and plenty can still happen.
There’s still confidence a big deal will be done before 30 August – it surely has to for Mitchell to avoid a short honeymoon at the club – and Darren Eales has repeatedly committed to Newcastle spending every penny they can within PSR restrictions.
As we saw in June, they have made a habit of leaving it late, but things do tend to work out.
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