Newcastle United made a late push to sign Samu Aghehowa before the summer window closed, but time was against them.
Portuguese outletA BOLA reports the Magpies got in touch with Porto in the final days of the market, asking for details about the 21-year-old striker and considering a move.
The interest had been building for weeks, but no formal bid arrived before the deadline. Newcastle eventually turned to Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade instead, sealing an £72m (€85m) deal on August 30th.
Porto were always in a strong position. They secured 100% of Samu’s rights in July and his release clause is £85m (€100m). The player himself never pushed for a move, feeling comfortable at the Portuguese club and determined to fight for the title this season.
So while Newcastle did step forward late on, Samu stayed put and Porto’s stance meant nothing was ever likely to happen that quickly. In addition, the player has also been carrying an injury at the beginning of this season.