Anthony Elanga of Notts Forest in action during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and West Ham United FC at City Ground on November 02, 2024 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)placeholder image
Anthony Elanga of Notts Forest in action during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and West Ham United FC at City Ground on November 02, 2024 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Newcastle United have had an offer rejected by Nottingham Forest for Anthony Elanga.
Elanga has again emerged as a leading target for the Magpies, who first expressed their interest last summer following two separate rounds of talks.
Newcastle enquired about Elanga as part of the PSR swindle that saw Elliot Anderson move to the City Ground but ended up taking Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos instead. A second approach was launched on deadline day, though an agreement was never close.
Elanga went on to play his part in an excellent campaign for Forest, where they finished seventh in the Premier League table to qualify for the Europa Conference League as well as reach the FA Cup semi-final.
The 23-year-old featured in all 38 of the Reds’ league matches, scoring six times and registering 11 assists, a total bettered only by Mohammed Salah and Jacob Murphy, whom Elanga would ultimately provide competition to at Newcastle.
Nottingham Forest reject Newcastle United’s Anthony Elanga bid - alternatives named
But at this stage, the prospect of Elanga moving to St James’ Park appears unlikely after Forest today [Tuesday] turned down a £45m offer from Newcastle. As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Forest have no intention of selling the winger.
Recent reports have suggested Forest want £60m for Elanga, who they signed for just £15m from Manchester United two years ago.
According to Ornstein, Newcastle are now considering whether to maintain their pursuit or look elsewhere. AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus are two potential alternatives named in the article, though they too won’t come cheap.
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Signing a right winger is a priority for Newcastle this summer with Murphy the only recognised option after Miguel Almiron’s January move to Atlanta United. Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes are options but both prefer to play on the left.
Newcastle United awaiting transfer breakthrough
With the summer transfer window just over a week old, there is just plenty of time for Newcastle to sign players ahead of kicking off the new Premier League campaign away to Aston Villa on Saturday, August 16.
However, Newcastle still hope to make a breakthrough in time for pre-season beginning on July 7. Following last season’s final day defeat to Everton, head coach Eddie Howe stressed the need for early business.
“Yeah, speed is key for us,” Howe said, “And I've reiterated that many times internally. Speed is key because we have to be dynamic.
“We have to be ready to conclude things very, very quickly because good players don't hang around for long. That's always been my thought and my message on recruitment, really, because you can have a period where you think you've got time, but then you can look around very quickly and realise that that time's elapsed and you've missed opportunities that you won't get again.
“So that's what we'll be trying. But obviously, the reality of that is it's not always in your hands, but we'll be doing our best to do things early.”
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