Newcastle weighing up moves for £45m Spaniard and right-sided centre-back – Report
According to Mark Douglas at iNews, Newcastle United are considering a move for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams – but any move for the attacker is ‘unlikely’ this summer.
The club are hoping to free up space on the wage bill over the coming weeks, with Ryan Fraser’s loan move to Southampton expected to be one of several late exits. However, no major outgoings are anticipated, meaning there’ll no funds generated to allow for another big signing.
Williams is a Spanish international winger who has been on the club’s radar for some time. Back in February, The Athletic revealed that we’d lined up a move for the 21-year-old prior to signing Everton’s Anthony Gordon.
Six months on, Douglas reveals that the £40m-rated talent remains firmly on our radar and could be one to watch in the next few windows. He’s started the new La Liga season with two assists in two games and was involved in 15 goals last season, also scoring once in eight appearances for his country.
A right-sided centre-back looks highly unlikely to arrive in the final seven days of the summer window, but iNews report that extensive analysis, scouting and ‘leg work’ will continue behind the scenes, with this likely to be a position we strengthen in January should the right deal emerge.
Who we target at centre-back remains a mystery, but we have been linked with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, Benfica’s Antonio Silva, Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice and Palace’s Joachim Andersen.
READ MORE:
NEWS UPDATE: Classic 27-year-old player who Newcastle sold is now valued for £80m after…..
‘Special’ 27-year-old who Newcastle sold for £650k is now valued at £80m
In hindsight, it is easy to say that selling Ivan Toney was a mistake by Newcastle United.
The striker has not looked back since leaving St James’ Park, scoring goals galore for Peterborough United and now Brentford.
He has proven himself to be an elite Premier League striker, with only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane scoring more than him in the top flight last season. Toney found the net 20 times, while his form also won him his first ever England cap.
The 27-year-old is most certainly one that got away for Newcastle, with Toney believing that he did not get a proper chance to succeed on Tyneside. However, he has stated in a recent interview that he could have worked harder after signing for Newcastle.
That is all in the past, and now Toney is building towards the future. He is currently serving a ban for breaching gambling regulations which ends on January 16th 2024.
Ivan Toney now valued at £80million
When his ban is over, it looks like Toney could be on his way out of Brentford.
According to the Times, the Bees expected him to leave this summer before his ban, and are now resigned to losing him in 2024.
The report adds that it is believed that Toney can play for a top six club, and that Brentford value him at £80million.
That is a staggering amount of money, and it is even more shocking when you remember how much Newcastle sold him for. He cost Peterborough £650,000 in 2018. Five years later he is worth 123 times that amount.
Toney has blossomed into a really ‘special‘ player since leaving Newcastle, and someone who looks set for a major move when his ban is over. His current valuation is incredible, and serves as a reminder of what could have been for the Magpies.
