Villarreal eyeing Newcastle deal as £25m man rejects Mexico move?

Despite previous understanding that we’re in our healthiest financial position in years, moving certain fringe players on will only help our PSR position.

Newcastle has offloaded the likes of Miguel Almiron, Lloyd Kelly, Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff in the last six months, but if we’re wanting to bring in top names, big fees and even bigger wages are needed.

And on the subject of outgoings, one player in particular is said to have rejected one move,

Goalkeeper rejects loan move amidst European demands

Fabrizio Romano reports that Odysseas Vlachodimos has rejected a move to Mexican side Pumas, just over 12 months after his PSR-driven move from Nottingham Forest.

The Greek goalkeeper only made a solitary appearance in last season’s league cup, and questions are still being asked to this day why he was the player we signed in that unofficial ‘swap deal’ with Forest.

According to Romano, the 31-year-old and his family want to stay in Europe, rather than make the move across the Atlantic to Mexico.

With that in mind, it's interesting to see Romano mention Spanish side Villarreal as a potential suitor, with the La Liga side on the lookout for a goalkeeper.

With the sheer amount of goalkeepers still on our books, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see us let the former Benfica star depart this window, although a loan deal is more likely than a sale for PSR reasons.

Why not sell Vlachodimos instead of a loan?

Many fans will be asking why only a loan is being contemplated for stars like Vlachodimos, rather than a permanent departure from Tyneside.

Unfortunately, because the signing of Vlachodimos went down in our books as a £25m acquisition, selling him now would have a negative impact on our PSR standings.

A loan, meanwhile, would allow us to improve our wage situation, where we want to offer the likes of Alexander Isak increased wages to extend his stay at the club this summer and beyond.

In any other situation, Vlachodimos could be a solid player to have on the books, thanks to his Champions League experience and international reputation.

But Howe’s trust in Nick Pope and the recent contract extension handed to Martin Dubravka means it would take a major injury crisis for Vlachodimos to even manage some minutes for us this season.