Newcastle United are closing in on a deal to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest this summer.
Newcastle have made the 23-year-old winger a top target this summer after an unsuccessful attempt to sign him last year.
The Magpies saw a £45million bid for Elanga rejected by Forest last month but have since returned with an improved £55million bid, and an agreement is understood to be close.
Although personal terms are not understood to be an issue, until the deal is officially signed and ratified, it’s not done. And with that comes potential opportunists who could swoop in and strike a deal from under Newcastle’s nose.
Aston Villa monitoring Anthony Elanga situation
Mail Online reported that Newcastle are close to an agreement with Forest following the £55million bid but also that Aston Villa are monitoring the situation. Villa are looking to strengthen out wide this summer too and admire Elanga, who contributed six goals and 12 assists last season.
Newcastle are hoping to complete the deal as quickly as possible to avoid any potential transfer hijack. The Magpies have already missed out on striker Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to Chelsea this summer, after holding initial transfer talks with the pair.
Delap opted to join Chelsea over Newcastle due to the greater chance of being a regular starter at Stamford Bridge. Newcastle simply couldn’t guarantee the striker regular starts over Alexander Isak.
While Joao Pedro was understood to be open to joining Newcastle, he also kept his options open with a move to a London club always preferred.
To then lose out on Elanga having targeted the player for over a year would come as a major blow for Eddie Howe and Newcastle.
Fortunately, Elanga’s situation is different, with Newcastle having a significant advantage over Aston Villa.
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Anthony Elanga Newcastle United transfer likely
Aston Villa’s interest is a late twist in the Elanga saga but Newcastle remain confident of reaching an agreement with Forest over the player.
Although a move to Villa would allow Elanga to remain relatively local given that Nottingham and Birmingham are only 50 miles apart, a move to Newcastle would come with several major incentives for the Swede.
Elanga already has good relationships with Newcastle stars William Osula, Alexander Isak and Emil Krafth and has also interacted with the likes of Anthony Gordon and Sven Botman on social media this summer.
The added pull of Champions League football at Newcastle also strengthens their hand.
Where would Anthony Elanga fit in at NUFC?
Elanga would strengthen a position Newcastle have been desperate to improve on for a while. The Magpies’ right-wing was weakened in January with the sale of Miguel Almiron leaving Jacob Murphy as the club’s only natural right-winger in the senior squad.
Elanga would provide some much-needed competition for Murphy and would be viewed as a long-term upgrade at just 23 years old. The added fixtures due to the Champions League will likely see Howe rotate his squad more in a bid to avoid the injury crisis suffered during their previous European venture.
Newcastle’s first team squad return to pre-season training on Monday ahead of their first friendly match at Celtic on July 19 (3pm kick-off).
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