Newcastle unlikely to sign summer target with £30m claims rebuffed - The Athletic

Newcastle United’s latest transfer rumour has been addressed and, in many ways, shot down by The Athletic today.

Talk has been rife this week regarding the Magpies summer transfer activity. Winning the Carabao Cup final means the promise of European football can now be given to some degree, but the club are hoping to push into the Champions League spots to secure their top targets.

One of those being Dean Huijsen, who is expected to leave Bournemouth due to a tempting £50m buyout clause that's active this summer.

An alternative option at centre-back came into the conversation on Wednesday. However, it doesn't sound particularly likely for a few reasons:

Summer target not for sale?

Newcastle are admirers of Jarell Quansah but early talk of a deal taking place is “certainly wide of the mark”, according to The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce.

This follows on from an exclusive by Martin Hardy of The Times on Wednesday, where he reported that Newcastle hope a deal worth £30m plus add-ons would be enough.

However, The Athletic's chief Liverpool correspondent has shared multiple factors that suggest this will not be the case.

Pearce reports that the 22-year-old was valued at around £50m last summer when Newcastle first signalled their interest and has price tag has only increased since then following a new contract in October, more first team experience for the Reds and a recent spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

On top of that, it's thought he remains in Arne Slot's plans, with Liverpool 'not considering' a summer sale and very much planning for him to remain at the club ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Liverpool’s precarious position at centre-back is also likely to be a factor. It's unclear if Virgil van Dijk will commit to a new contract, Ibrahima Konate will soon be approaching the last year of his deal and another previous Newcastle target recovers from serious injury...

Gomez another no-go?

It would come as a surprise if Newcastle re-established their interest in Joe Gomez. And according to Chris Waugh at The Athletic, that interest was minimal in the first place.

Quansah was our preference, not Gomez, should we have been forced into a trade deal with Anthony Gordon going the other way in our desperation to meet the PSR deadline of June 30 last summer.

Eddie Howe does like a versatile player and no doubt Gomez’ ability to place as a centre-back and full-back has been noted. But at 28, the defender doesn’t fit the profile that sporting director Paul Mitchell is currently looking to attain in his bid to lower the squad’s average age.

Gomez also has a worrying injury record, something Newcastle can’t afford to take a further gamble on with Sven Botman becoming an increasing concern, making this one feel like a no-go at present.