Newcastle United’s Maddison deal in doubt due to Barella links
With Newcastle in the race to sign Nicolo Barella according to the Telegraph, Inter Milan would command a hefty fee for the dynamic midfielder who played yesterday in Italy’s defeat to Spain and was a Champion’s League finalist this season.
Sources close to club officials suggest a fee of around 50 million being mooted however, other recent reports would suggest that the Magpies would need an offer far more substantial than 50 million pounds to tempt the Nerazzuri into relinquishing such a crucial player, and prized asset.
It does beg the question if Newcastle have decided to refocus their efforts on other targets, following their very public courting and bidding towards midfield creator James Maddison (of Leicester) in January and last summer’s transfer window.
Although Newcastle was said to be leading the pursuit of the England international’s signature, Tottenham is also vying for Maddison, who is purportedly wanted by new manager Postecoglou.
There is no doubt that there are still legs in Newcastle’s interest to sign James Maddison, but Newcastle’s recruitment team could likely be playing the long game in what could be a transformational summer window, as they do not want to overpay.
Leicester who was relegated this season want 60 million to part with their influential midfielder. However, Newcastle Director of Football Dan Ashworth has demonstrated clever transfer acumen when it comes to the market in getting the right deal for the player and will be patient in signing a player for the right fee.
Again this demonstrates the approach that Newcastle will not pay over the odds for players in this summer window, and this applies to their valuation and pursuit of James Maddison.
Reflecting on both targets: it is clear that both Maddison and Barella would strengthen the Newcastle midfield, which has performed excellently this season with the trio usually featuring Guimares, Joelinton, Longstaff, and Willock.
The problem of a lack of depth has been highlighted when injuries were suffered by the likes of Guimares and Longstaff during the campaign, indicating that midfield recruits such as those of the quality of Barella and Maddison are needed if Newcastle desires to go further than the group stage in the Champions League.
In a way, both Leicester and Inter Milan are in similar situations this summer when it comes to selling players. Following relegation, Leicester are being forced to reduce their wage bill and that means getting rid of key players (and high earners such as Maddison).
James Maddison is thought to earn £110,000 a week.
Similarly, player sales will allow the Foxes to rebuild their team in preparation for a testing season in the Championship.
Comparatively, Inter Milan has huge loans to the tune of 200 million euros in bank loans that need to be paid back next year, and although Inter values Barella highly, they might need to sell some prized assets in order to alleviate their precarious final situation.
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