A quiet Tuesday afternoon suddenly sparked into life over the last few hours, as a David Ornstein exclusive revealed that Newcastle United have launched a £45m bid for Anthony Elanga this morning.
Sadly, Nottingham Forest responded with a straight no, rejected the offer and made it clear that they do not want to sell their star winger this summer.
The question now is what do Newcastle do next, and how much might it take for Forest to be tempted into a sale?
Two reports have since emerged on the sort of figure Forest will demand, as it’s a common saying in modern day football that every player has a price.
Mark Douglas at the i Paper has responded with news that Forest value him at ‘£10-15m more’ than our £45m bid, suggesting £55-60m may be needed.
Elsewhere, both Ben Jacobs and talkSPORT colleague Alex Crook both report that the Swedish international is valued at £60m.
My issue is the inflated market we’re currently working in here. There is also a limit on how much I’d want us to pay for Anthony Elanga when we also need a goalkeeper, centre-back and striker, without an endless pit of money to work with.
I do think he’d take his game to new heights in this side and under Eddie Howe, but for me we should be looking at a deal that includes staggered payments and potential add-ons if we’re to get anywhere near that £60m mark.