MAGS’ WAITING GAME
DEAL FOR DEFENDER LEJEUNE COULD BE DELAYED BY SELLING CLUB’S PRIORITIES
Florian Lejeune has been offered a double your money deal by Newcastle United, as the Magpies look to make their second major breakthrough in the summer market.
But the deal could be held up by Eibar’s boardroom elections.
Lejeune has a release clause of around £8.7million in the four-year contract he signed with the Basque Country minnows last summer. And Newcastle are understood to have triggered that, according to reports in Spain.
But, despite the deal progressing well, it could be held up by a transitional period in the Eibar boardroom.
The club have this week elected new members to the board, and the focus in the halls of power at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium are focused solely on retaining the services of sporting director Fran Garagarza.
As a result, that could mean that the Magpies’ pursuit of Lejeune, believed to be Rafa Benitez’s No 1 defensive target, drags out.
Former Manchester City centre-half Lejeune has been offered a bumper deal with the Tynesiders, according to Spanish publication Marca.
And it reports that a fouryear deal should be completed for the tall, no nonsense Frenchman, linked with Arsenal and Tottenham in the winter window.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have missed out on the signing of Ruben Semedo – with the player confirming his exit from Sporting Lisbon to Villarreal.
United had been credited with an interest in the 23-year-old Portuguese centre-half, but the player has opted to shun a move to the Premier League, with Southampton also interested.
He told Diario Record: “I leave with the feeling of gratitude, for all that Sporting has done for me, but also happy for this new path that I have chosen. Villarreal is an interesting project, and that is what I need at the moment.”
Semedo, known to be a back-up option should the Lejeune deal fall through, has penned a five-year deal, costing £12.2million.
A deal for Tammy Abraham looks all but done.
Providing there are no last-minute hitches, the striker should sign a seasonlong loan deal from Chelsea this week. Brighton were also interested in 19-year-old Abraham, who scored 26 goals on loan at Bristol City last season.
Reports in Turkey suggest Magfpie striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is interesting Besiktas and Fenerbahce.