Newcastle United Transfer News: Toon eye £52m bid, Real Madrid could sell

Newcastle United are thought to be leading the race for a Real Madrid star who could be sold at the right price this month.

The Magpies’ season sees Eddie Howe’s side firmly in the race for Europe, while they face a play-off round to make the last 16 of the Champions League.

This may, at least partly, be guiding their transfer ambitions, as despite spending plenty in the summer (albeit after losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool), they continue to be linked to January deals with just days of the window remaining.

So with their season hanging in the balance at the halfway stage, perhaps there should be no surprise that a team with financial resources as deep as Newcastle’s are linked with the top players in the game.

According to Fichajes, Newcastle are preparing a bid of around €60m (£52m) for Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz.

While the Moroccan isn’t officially for sale at Real Madrid, those in the Spanish capital are ‘seriously considering’ whether to accept a deal if they receive an offer that meets certain financial markers.

It is thought that €60m would be the kind of price at which they would consider selling – hinting at either Newcastle’s desperation to add more quality to their squad or the belief they have in Diaz being a success at St James’ Park.

The latter may well hold true, as Newcastle are said to see the 26-year-old as a perfect fit for their team.

Meanwhile, the fact that they are willing to put such a large sum down looks like it is deterring rivals for his signature, with the likes of Milan, where Diaz was previously on loan, unable to match the numbers that the Toon are putting on the table.

€60m would allow Real Madrid to free up funds at their end, and given the kinds of plans being floated around ahead of the summer, this could be too good an opportunity to turn down.

Especially when you consider Diaz has not been an automatic starter for Los Blancos either side of his spell at the Africa Cup of Nations, it’s a pretty hefty sum for a bit-part player.

As for Newcastle, the upshot is clear, with Diaz immediately transforming the potency of their frontline.

Despite adding Anthony Elanga to their team in the summer, he has not pulled up as many trees as many would have hoped, while others like Jacob Murphy have spent periods out with injury this term, depleting natural options on the right wing.

Harvey Barnes has played there of late, but another natural top-class option in that position can only enhance Newcastle’s chances of success this season and create healthy competition throughout the attack.

At his best, Diaz recorded 22 goal involvements during 2023/24, despite being in and out of the team under Carlo Ancelotti.

So you could argue that a change of scenery to somewhere he can make the right-wing position his own will allow him to flourish, and with his peak years approaching, £52m may yet be seen as a bargain in the years to come if Newcastle are brave enough to gamble before Monday’s deadline.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.

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