£44m deal agreed as another crazy move goes public - This is what Newcastle are up against...
With certain fans becoming increasingly impatient at our lack of attacking arrivals, does Bayern’s move for Mathys Tel and Nottingham Forest's outrageous bid for Morgan Gibbs-White show us how difficult it is to get the right one over the line at the right price?
Munich have signed the 17-year-old Stade Rennes striker for an initial fee of £17m that should rise to £25m once add-ons come into play. An astronomical price for a player that has played less than 100 minutes of senior football, did not even start a Ligue 1 match last season and is yet to score or even assist professionally.
In addition, some breaking news has just emerged on Morgan Gibbs-White, with a host of outlets confirming that Nottingham Forest have just agreed a deal worth a staggering £44m for the attacking midfielder. He's a talent, but this sort of money for a man who has one goal and one assist in 48 Premier League appearances is crazy.
Oh and don't even get me started on Anthony Gordon. The fact he could seal a £50m move to Chelsea after Everton knocked back a £45m bid is beyond me. The market has gone mad.
The bids we've seen for Gibbs-White and Gordon certainly make you realise why Leicester City rejected our £40m offer for James Maddison - a proven operator who is slightly older, yet far more prolific at this level.
The crazy bids and inflated fees must be making things even tougher for a Newcastle United who are already finding it hard to do business at the right price.
Back to Tel, who am I to question Bayern’s transfer business - but boy does it make you think! Newcastle are almost certainly in the market for a high-quality young striker who can compete with Callum Wilson and, just as importantly, step-in if our number nine succumbs to his annual injury.
We also saw what happened with Ekitike. His time-wasting agent held out so his client could go to PSG and presumably sit on the bench behind Mbappe, Messi and Neymar. It was reported that we'd only pay £12m up front for the former Reims man, but it seems deals like that have been hard to come by since he ditched us for the Ligue 1 giants last month.
Bayern have gambled massively and perhaps can take the hit. Tel may well go out on loan and it may well turn out to be a brilliant investment that reaps long-term gain. We shall see. But what it does say to me is how difficult it must be for Newcastle - who are still dubbed the 'richest club in the world' - to work in this market when unproven talents will now cost you £25-£35m.
If a 17-year-old untried youngster can command such a fee then, what sort of fees are being quoted to Mr Ashworth? Particularly when you add on the so-called Newcastle Tax. It seems only reasonable that The Toon want to explore and continue to explore every avenue.
I still feel we’ll make a marque signing this summer. Whether it’s a striker or a winger. Which ever one of those it may be, the other may have to be a loan. One thing is for certain, we’re in a market where the seller dictates and the buyer may have to stretch beyond budget.
Mathys Tel and Morgan Gibbs-White are probably good barometers as to how difficult this market. Us fans must therefore trust in the backstage boys to get it right in a way that moves our ‘new’ Club forward and not backwards.
We must sign new attacking talent if we're to mount a charge towards Europe anytime soon, but we must not be held to ransom!
