Mike Ashley has reverted to his old ways as he spells out the transfer policy for Newcastle United in January.
Newcastle United will take on Crystal Palace this Friday at Selhurst Park, but most of the media attention this week has been on the January transfer window. As expected, multiple names have already been thrown around as potential targets, but that list will soon change now that the transfer policy has been outlined.
According to a report from the Northern Echo, Mike Ashley has informed Steve Bruce that his transfer business in January will solely consist of loan deals. Newcastle United are no strangers to navigating the loan market, but fans were hoping to see some money spent.
Reims striker Boulaye Dia, who leads Ligue 1 in scoring with eight goals this term, was supposedly on the Magpies’ radar, and he is available for £13m, but Ashley’s policy indicates that such a deal is out of the question.
The same could then be said for the permanent transfer of Jetro Willems, although Frankfurt are willing to further reduce his price in order to seal the deal.
It remains to be seen who the Magpies will target now that the financial situation has been clarified for Bruce and his staff, but one option that is still on the table is Olivier Giroud.
The Chelsea striker is searching for regular minutes in order to keep his place in the French national team, and the Toon have conducted business with the Blues on multiple occasions in the past.
One internal situation fans should monitor closely is that of Miguel Almiron. With his agent making so much noise about other clubs across Europe’s top leagues being interested in his services, Newcastle United would be willing to sell him for £20m.
If that were to happen, it would be interesting to see if a portion of those funds would be allocated to complete at least one permanent deal in January. The likelihood of any money being spent in January is minimal, but the sale of Almiron could make it possible.
Other players could be dealt in January as well, such as DeAndre Yedlin, Henri Saivet, and Christian Atsu, but whatever profit Newcastle United get for the trio would be considered pocket change in today’s transfer market.