Newcastle United are reportedly ready to table an offer worth €60 million for RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai but are looking to avoid paying the Hungarian midfielder’s €70 million buyout clause.
According to Football Insider, Newcastle United have made an approach for RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai as they look set to miss out on a deal for Leicester City’s James Maddison.
With pre-season just around the corner, the Magpies are already making moves in the transfer market. Youngster Yankuba Minteh has already arrived at the club and has been sent straight out on loan to Dutch champions Feyenoord.
They are closing in on a move for AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, while they are also in talks to sign Southampton defender Tino Livramento. A creative midfielder looks to be next on Eddie Howe’s transfer agenda.
As such, they have been linked with a move for Maddison for a long time now. However, it was previously reported that their budget might be limited this summer due to financial fair play restrictions, which may mean that their move for Tonali prices them out of a deal for the England international, who is apparently leaning towards a move to Tottenham owing to personal reasons and a better wage packet.
Szoboszlai has been mentioned as an alternative target to Maddison. The 22-year-old was excellent for Leipzig last season, scoring ten goals and assisting 13 times across all competitions.
The Magpies are firm admirers and have been tracking the Hungarian midfielder for some time, with the player himself open to a move to Newcastle after their impressive Champions League qualification this past season.
However, according to German outlet Bild, there is a catch. Despite strong interest from Eddie Howe’s side, the German publication insists that Szoboszlai could stay put at Leipzig, with his €70 million release clause proving too rich for Newcastle, especially after breaking their bank on the Tonali deal.
The Premier League side are trying to see if a deal can be done around the €60 million ballpark so as to keep in line with FFP. Newcastle’s chances of securing the 22-year-old’s signature could be further hampered by his teammate Josko Gvardiol’s imminent exit.
The Croatian defender is a top target for Manchester City, who are readying an offer of close to €100 million to land him this summer. Gvardiol’s sale would help Leipzig hit all of their summer sales targets and also help them keep their other assets, including Szoboszlai.
It has now been “clearly agreed internally” that Leipzig should stand firm and not accept anything less than Szoboszlai’s release clause. Ultimately, though, it’s going to be down to Newcastle to pay up or look for other ways to make up the required finances for the deal if they want the player to rock up on Tyneside.
