I urged Newcastle United to sign Liam Delap and was laughed at - now he's proving why it made sense
I urged Newcastle United to sign Liam Delap and was laughed at - now he's proving why it made sense
Newcastle United have again been alerted to Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic's availability this summer.
The Serbian star is set to leave the Serie A side as they can no longer afford his wages. The terms of Vlahovic's contract mean that an annual salary jump of over £1million would take him from £8.8m to £10.1m.
Subsequently, with Juventus trying to trim costs, intermediaries are now putting the 25-year-old's name to Premier League clubs. However, while Newcastle have looked at the Belgrade-born star before, it will be his wage demands that will raise eyebrows on Tyneside - unless United are finally prepared to push close to the £200,000 per week barrier.
Vlahovic would want around £192,000 per week to drop Juventus and has another year to go on his current deal. A reduced fee for the striker of £38m has been inserted in a bid to attract interest in the 6ft 2in centre-forward.
Newcastle's top earners, like Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Joelinton, pick up around £150,000 per week and getting the balance right across the squad will be a key task of sporting director Paul Mitchell this summer.
The Magpies have been heavily linked with sought after free transfer Jonathan David and a decision on Callum Wilson's contract is also awaited, but the arrival of the man who has plundered 86 Serie A goals may be appealing to some supporters.
Liam Delap sources cite Champions League football as key factor in summer decision
There's no doubt that the Magpies are interested in Ipswich striker Liam Delap with the star's £30m release clause a real attraction to Toon chiefs. However, sources close to Delap are indicating that he has an eye on a move to Manchester United in the next few weeks.
Although, any switch to Old Trafford may depend on whether the Red Devils make it to the Champions League. With Man United's season on a knife-edge, ahead of a crunch Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, Delap knows a switch to the bitter rivals of his former club Man City could entail either dining at UEFA's top table next term or no Euro action at all.
Newcastle are awaiting confirmation of getting to the Champions League in the next week or so. As reported on Chronicle Live last week Delap is eying £120,000 to £150,000 per week.
New goalkeeper target?
The Magpies are mentioned prominently on the pages of L'Equipe today with Angers goalkeeper Yahia Fofana deemed to be a target for Eddie Howe's scouts.
With James Trafford and Aaron Ramsdale linked consistently with Newcastle, Fofana would arrive with a reputation as one of the top stoppers in Ligue 1. A fee of around £8m would be needed to get Angers to part with the Ivory Coast international with both Torino and Southampton spotted taking a closer look.