Newcastle United are looking to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest this summer - and one of their players could help influence the deal.
Newcastle saw a £45million bid rejected by Forest last week and have since seen a subsequent offer turned down by the Trentside club, who have no intention of selling Elanga.
The Swedish winger contributed six goals and 12 assists during the 2024/25 season to help Forest claim a seventh-place finish while also reaching the FA Cup semi-final.
The Mapgies have targeted the 23-year-old as a prime right-wing option this summer, though striking a deal could prove difficult with Forest. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are preparing for European football themselves and will be wanting as strong a squad as possible given the extra fixture demand.
And Elanga is a key part in their plans having been a regular in the side since his £15million arrival from Manchester United. That 2023 deal could also hinder Newcastle’s chances of agreeing a fee as Man United have a significant sell-on percentage should Forest agree to let Elanga leave.
As a result, they will stand firm hold out for as big a fee as possible in order to maximise their profits before even considering a sale.
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Anthony Elanga meets up with NUFC ‘agent’
Elanga already has strong connections at Newcastle and is understood to be open to joining the club. The winger is international teammate with Alexander Isak and Emil Krafth.
He even admitted to having a phone call with Isak over a potential move to Newcastle but also insists he is happy at the City Ground.
But perhaps Elanga’s closest relationship is with Newcastle forward William Osula. The pair share the same agency and often interact with one another on social media.
The interactions have seen many Newcastle fans give Osula the nickname ‘agent Osula’ given his connections with the club’s transfer target.
And ‘agent Osula’ was in full swing on Tuesday evening as he posted a video on Tiktok of himself dancing with Elanga and shaking his hand. A’ done deal’ handshake? Perhaps not, but it only serves to fuel the transfer speculation and Newcastle links further.
William Osula and Anthony Elanga on Tiktok.placeholder image
William Osula and Anthony Elanga on Tiktok. | tiktok
Newcastle United Instagram transfer teases
Last month, Elanga shared holiday images from his trip to Mykonos in Greece with one picture displaying a Newcastle United 2024/25 home shirt.
The image in question showed Elanga wearing an Antonie Semenyo AFC Bournemouth shirt while his padel partner was wearing the Newcastle shirt.
Whether intentional or not, Elanga is completely aware of the Newcastle links and the social media frenzy his links with Osula in particular can cause.
A recent comment on Osula’s Instagram suggested as such, as he said: “Not gonna say too much.”
Osula commented on Elanga’s Mykonos holiday post: “Henjoyment my boy.”
Two new players also cropped up in Elanga’s comments, both of whom play for Newcastle and share no obvious link with the winger.
Newcastle defender Sven Botman simply said, ‘Mykooo’ in reference to Elanga’s holiday destination while Anthony Gordon commented: “Yallaaa.”
Roughly translated, ‘yalla’ means ‘let’s go’.
Last week, Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope dropped a potential transfer hint on Instagram after his ‘see you soon’ message to James Trafford went public.
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