The Magpies want Nottingham Forest's right-winger but it'll take a significant fee to lure him away
Newcastle United summer transfer target Anthony Elanga in action for Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United summer transfer target Anthony Elanga in action for Nottingham Forest
(Image: Photo by Cameron Smith - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Newcastle have fired the first salvo in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, and their first bid has been rejected - and some readers in the Chronicle Live comments section say that both the club and the fans are going to have to get used to paying 'over the odds' if they want to compete for signings at the top of the Premier League.
Forest's position is that their right-winger is a key man and not actively for sale, and that it would take a significant fee to convince them to let him leave. Newcastle's £45 million opening bid was rejected out of hand, and Forest are thought to be after more like £60 million if he's to leave at all.
The East Midlands club will also be seeing the Magpies as rivals, following a much-improved season that saw them in the mix for the Champions League spots on the final day, so that could play a part in further negotiations. Figures in the Newcastle hierarchy have spoken about not paying "over the odds" in the transfer window, and being "ruthless" in their search for value signings, but good Premier League-ready reinforcements are increasingly costly in today's market.
Forest are also reportedly not interested in a player-plus-cash deal. Similar targets in his postion could be Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo or West Ham's Mohammed Kudus, but they could be even pricier.
Some readers say that people are just going to have to accept that Newcastle will end up paying over market value for the players that they want, and that patience is needed. Commenter Houghton Mag says: "There is a thing in football , and commercial activity generally, called negotiation. You offer a price and talk it through gradually getting close to a figure that works for both sides.
"Some fans are obviously unaware of this. We will certainly have to pay over the odds for players but need to get the best value that we can."
Reader Tumbla writes: "It's no 'Newcastle tax' in my view. Why would any Premier League club sell a player who is going to improve us and weaken themselves on the cheap? Would we? It's £60 million or more for any quality player moving from one Premier league team to another. It's not rocket science or a 'Newcastle tax', it's just the way it is."
DM TOONY agrees: "Liverpool have just shelled out £100 million plus, we are not the only team in the league that has to pay over the odds for a top player, you usually get what you pay for. We've lost out on our top targets, we don't want to be scraping the bottom of the barrel come the end of the transfer window."
Others aren't convinced that this is the best use of the club's time and money. Toon Pedro says: "Just my opinion but I would walk away and test West Ham on Jarrod Bowen, he fits Eddie's profile and would be an upgrade on Murphy."
Motivation writes: "Forget Elanga, decent player but not worth the silly money they are asking. It will be difficult to buy any good players in the Premier League, the other teams will see to that."
Some fans are seeing echoes of the long and fruitless pursuit of Marc Guehi in Newcastle's opening bid. Jostoon62 says: "I trust the process as we’ve come a long way in the years since the takeover. But we seem to struggle getting good quality players over the line!
"The teams around us get linked with a quality player, the next thing you know they’ve signed him. We put a bid in and it’s rejected, so we move to alternative players which are obviously 2nd or 3rd on the list."
KMac agrees: "It’s comical that Newcastle chiefs want the best, but lowball every offer, why? There’s no bargain basement for the Premier League."
Books999 is pessimistic: "Typical Newcastle, bidding under the asking price, no wonder they will end up with nobody again."
Have your say! Is there value to be found in the Premier League for the sort of player that will take Newcastle forward? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.