Newcastle United appear to be closing in on a deal to sign Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga for around £55m. However, there are question marks over why the transfer fee is so high.
After nearly two years, it looks like the Magpies will finally make a signing to improve the starting XI. It comes after three transfer windows, several key players sold and the threat of a points deduction due to PSR issues to get it through.
It is fair to say that Newcastle United have not enjoyed the best of luck in the transfer window. Most recently, Joao Pedro rejected Newcastle for Chelsea despite talks with the club. After being informed that he was interested in a move, it was revealed that Joao Pedro always wanted to join Chelsea and that the Magpies never really stood a chance.
In the meantime, work has been ongoing to try and tempt Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga to Newcastle this summer. On Thursday night, Fabrizio Romano revealed Newcastle made a £55m bid for Elanga, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to get the deal to go through.
After having their initial bid of £45m rejected in June, it is clear that Newcastle are not giving up their hopes of signing Elanga easily. However, there are some concerns over why the transfer fee is so high. It has now been confirmed exactly why that is the case.
Anthony Elanga celebrates scoring a goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man United set to take some profit from Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga deal
It has been confirmed that personal terms should not be an issue between Newcastle and Elanga. The winger will be joining the club and playing alongside good friends like Alexander Isak and William Osula. Their friendship can only mean great things both on and off the pitch.
£55m is understandably a lot of money for Elanga, but it is a fee Newcastle are willing to pay because they see that value in him. Despite that, some fans believe that they should not be spending anywhere near that much on him.
Following the news of the fresh bid, Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope reported that Manchester United will be entitled to 15% of the transfer’s profits. Elanga joined Forest from Man United in 2023 for a fee of £15m. Should the £55m deal go through, Man United will receive £6m of the £40m profit Forest will gain.
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Because of that, Forest are likely to have been asking for a higher transfer fee so they could receive as much money as possible for one of their key players. Additionally, they will need the money to sign a replacement who will give them the same amount of attacking returns as Elanga has over the last two seasons.
Anthony Elanga could join Newcastle alongside Nottingham Forest Chief
While Elanga has been the Magpies’ main target this summer, it has been revealed that Newcastle are also looking to bring someone from behind the scenes at Forest to the club alongside the winger.
Ross Wilson has done a brilliant job at Forest since his appointment in 2023, signing the likes of Elanga, Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenkovic. The 41-year-old certainly has an eye for a good deal around Europe, and Newcastle have been made aware of that.
It has been widely reported that Newcastle are interested in signing Wilson as their sporting director following the departure of Paul Mitchell after less than a year on Tyneside.
Alongside Wilson, Newcastle are also interested in former Arsenal chief Jason Ayto, who impressed before Andrea Berta’s appointment this summer.
It has been reported that Wilson and Ayto are the two leading candidates for the vacant sporting director’s role, and have both held follow-up interviews in recent days.