Journalist reveals the actual fee NUFC paid to sign Miguel Almiron from Atlanta - Interesting..
According to the Chronicle's Chris Waugh, Newcastle have only actually paid an initial fee of 'around £16m' for Miguel Almiron - with the deal having the potential to amount to £21m in the future.
So, after all the talk of a club record deal, it seems we haven't actually paid more than the £17m spent on Michael Owen in 2005 just yet.
Here's what Chris Waugh revealed during the Chronicle's latest Q&A:
"The deal (for Miguel Almiron) could reach £21m in total, though the initial outlay is around the £16m mark."
On the subject of Almiron, here's him in training on Wednesday morning:
The details of how the payments could increase and rise to £21m are not clear, but it's likely to be dependant on things like goals, appearances and performances - with one having the potential to be 'x' amount if we stayed up this season.
As we know, Ashley is a shrewd businessman and would want to save every last penny is order to get the cheapest deal possible, but the fact we haven't technically broke our transfer record is not necessarily a bad thing in an era where so many signings are overpriced.
That said, it's about time Ashley started REGULARLY paying fair but substantial fees for Rafa's top targets.
Let's hope this is just the start when it comes to £15-£20m signings. It'll have to be if he wants to keep Benitez beyond this season.
