Newcastle United has been heavily involved in the 2023 summer transfer window. Whether it is moving on from some of their own, or bringing in reinforcements for their 2023-24 Champions League run, they’ve been active in the market.
Now, it has been reported that winger Ryan Fraser has been in talks with both Leeds United and Celtic.
Newcastle United has already parted ways with the likes of defender Jamal Lewis and winger Allan Saint-Maximin, and now it looks like Eddie Howe’s squad is getting much more condensed, but in a good way.
Fraser has played with the Magpies for three seasons since joining the club at the start of the 2020-21 season. When he entered, it was assumed that he would continue the impressive play that he displayed with Bournemouth in the seasons prior.
In the 2018-2019 campaign, he looked like he was going to be one of the Premier League’s best as he knocked in seven goals while dishing off 14 assists while starting in 35 contests.
That would unfortunately not be the case as over the course of those three seasons at St. James Park, he started in just 30 outings, proving that his fit with the squad was drastically overvalued.
Now with the team looking to compete in the Champions League for the coming season, the likelihood of Fraser finding time on the pitch has begun to look incredibly slim. Not only has he been lackluster when given the opportunity to play, but Newcastle has an abundance of young talent to utilize, and cannot afford to waste time with Fraser.
So, that’s where both Leeds United and Celtic enter the picture.
Leeds was officially been relegated to the EFL Championship at the conclusion of the 2022-23 Premier League season after a disastrous campaign. In order to rebuild, the team has begun selling an abundance of their high-valued talent, while looking to bring in older, yet experienced players to help bring them back to promotion.
Recently, the talks have surrounded both Leeds and Fraser marking a potential move being made in the coming days. The most recent rumors have seen the Magpies holding the value at Fraser at roughly €5 million.
After selling a few of their top talents like forward Harvey Barnes, they should have the funds to make this move.
However, unlike Leeds, in order to maintain a strong presence in European League play, Celtic has emerged as a contender for the 29-year-old winger. Fraser will hopefully bring a strong rotational presence to a lineup that is looking for the occasional experienced player to step up and shine under the bright lights.
His presence as a rotational piece will be important for Celtic as their lack of attacking pieces was a focal point heading into the summer transfer window. The club lost winger João Pedro Neves Filipe this summer to Saudi club, Al-Ittihad, so finding a replacement has been on the front step for Celtic.
While it looks like Fraser’s best football may be behind him, his age of 29 years old still holds the possibility for a consistent bounce-back campaign.
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