Newcastle United want to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, but suddenly face a fresh problem.
Their main problem is the price tag. Newcastle United offered £45million to sign Elanga, but it was quickly rejected by Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle must pay £60million for Elanga, with Forest determined to keep the 23-year-old at the City Ground. But Eddie Howe is determined to bring him to St James’ Park, having seen other top targets Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro slip through the net.
The Magpies have been offered some hope regarding their pursuit of the Sweden international, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie claiming that Elanga is interested in joining Newcastle United.
Anthony Elanga reacts after Nottingham Forest lose in the Premier League to Chelsea.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Newcastle United face competition to sign Anthony Elanga
However, the winger could have another option coming his way.
That is according to TalkSPORT, who report that Aston Villa have registered their interest in signing Elanga this summer.
The report states that, like Newcastle, Villa are also looking for attacking reinforcements on the back of Marcus Rashford’s loan deal from Manchester United coming to an end.
TalkSPORT reaffirm that Forest want £60million for Elanga, which would make him one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever.
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Another club being interested will be a concern to Newcastle United fans, who have already seen their side miss out on key targets to Premier League rivals.
Joao Pedro chose Chelsea over Newcastle United, and so did Liam Delap. While Newcastle thought Mbeumo was too expensive, his preference was to join Manchester United.
The Magpies have completely failed to close out any deals, and there will be fears that Elanga follows suit now that Aston Villa have entered the conversation. However, Howe does have a key advantage over Unai Emery.
While Aston Villa will be competing in next season’s Europa League, Newcastle United will be in the Champions League. That could help convince Elanga that St James’ Park is better for him than Villa Park, but only if they can submit an offer that Forest deem to be acceptable.
This development only strengthens Forest’s position, as it could allow them to create a bidding war for a player they do not really want to sell.