Newcastle and Everton are the latest Premier League clubs to be linked with Venezia midfielder Issa Doumbia. Their arrival in the race is already starting to change the financial picture around the deal.
The 22-year-old has been one of the big stories of Venezia’s promotion-winning season. Doumbia has now reached 10 goals and five assists in 38 appearances. He started 37 of those matches and established himself as one of Serie B’s most productive midfielders.
That form has already attracted attention from Brentford and Bournemouth in recent weeks. Now, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Newcastle and Everton have also emerged as clubs following the situation closely.
And the impact is immediate. Venezia are reportedly beginning to push the asking price higher.
Newcastle and Everton entering race changes market
Sporting remain the club most advanced in negotiations. The Portuguese side are preparing for the departures of both Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita. Doumbia has been identified internally as a priority target for their midfield rebuild.
A Bola explain Sporting already have a five-year contract prepared for the player until 2031, complete with defined salary terms and an €80m (£68.5m) release clause.
However, the arrival of more English clubs is starting to complicate things.
The report states Venezia initially worked with a minimum figure around €15m (£12.8m), but Newcastle and Everton joining the picture is now pushing expectations closer to €20m (£17.1m).
That is not surprising of course. Premier League involvement alone tends to inflate negotiations quickly. This is especially true when the player is 22 years old, producing goals from midfield and coming off a promotion campaign.
Sporting still pushing hardest
Despite the growing Premier League interest, Sporting are still described as the club most committed to getting a deal done.
The Portuguese side are expected to hold another negotiation round with Venezia in the coming days. They are trying to protect their advantage before the market grows even more crowded.
Doumbia’s contract with Venezia runs until June 2029, which also strengthens the Italian club’s position. And after securing promotion to Serie A and then winning the Serie B title, Venezia are under no pressure to rush into a sale.
Now the more clubs enter the race, the easier it becomes for Venezia to keep moving the price upward.