Newcastle open talks to sign £15m-a-year Man Utd target who’s open to January move
Newcastle United have now opened talks to sign a midfield reinforcement who PIF already know well, according to recent reports.
Newcastle open talks to sign key midfield addition
After much of their summer was centred around finding a replacement for Alexander Isak, before they eventually landed on Nick Woltemade, Newcastle have switched their focus towards signing a midfield reinforcement.
For the first time, there have been doubts about Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes’ partnership at the heart of Eddie Howe’s side, with Joelinton particularly receiving criticism. The problem that Newcastle have, however, is that they lack quality beyond those three to truly make a change.
Jacob Ramsey arrived for around £40m in the summer but is yet to make his mark at St James’ Park. The same can be said for another big-money signing, Anthony Elanga, whose struggles were laid bare in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland.
On reflection, aside from Woltemade, Newcastle’s summer business is beginning to look fairly forgettable and new sporting director Ross Wilson must make up for that in January.
With that in mind, the Magpies have already been linked to a number of potential additions, including former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Brentford’s Igor Thiago.
Lo Celso has unfinished business in the Premier League after struggling at Spurs, but could yet come back to haunt his former club courtesy of those in Tyneside.
Alas, he’s not the only midfielder on Newcastle’s shortlist. PIF have also set their sights on a familiar face. According to TeamTalk, Newcastle have now opened talks to sign Ruben Neves from Al-Hilal, who are also owned by PIF.
The Saudi Pro League side are reportedly ready to sell their midfielder, who is also open to a January move before his contract expires and he becomes a free agent in the summer.
Ruben Neves could end Joelinton's Newcastle career
Neves would quite simply be an excellent signing for Newcastle as they look to rediscover their midfield dominance. A better technician than Joelinton without sacrificing the Brazilian’s work out of possession, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder could either become the bargain of the summer or a shrewd January acquisition.
It’s not just the Magpies who are interested, though. Manchester United have also reportedly opened talks with his representatives, handing Newcastle an instant obstacle in the way of securing Neves’ signature. They will hope that PIF’s links to Al-Hilal hand them the edge over the Red Devils.
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Dubbed “exceptional” by Al-Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi, Neves is still just 28-years-old and more than capable of adapting back to the level of the Premier League.
The big question for Newcastle should centre around his salary demands. As things stand, Neves earns an eye-watering £15m-a-year in Saudi Arabia, which would instantly make him Newcastle’s highest-earner by some distance.
Given that their current highest-earner is Guimaraes and he earns around £8m-a-year, it seems unlikely that Newcastle would reach Neves’ salary if he demanded a repeat of his Al-Hilal contract.