Reports from Greece have named Newcastle United as a club interested in one of Olympiacos’ top young talents.
Babis Kostoulas has been linked with a big money move this summer after a breakthrough season in the Super League Greece. The 18-year-old forward scored seven goals in 35 appearances for Olympiacos as they completed a domestic double and secured Champions League qualification.
Now Newcastle’s name has been thrown into the mix in a bid to drum up further interest in one of Greek football’s most promising youngsters.
Newcastle United preparing ‘huge offer’ for Babis Kostoulas?
Giorgos Tsanakas at Sport FM in Greece, has claimed Newcastle are preparing a ‘huge offer’ for Kostoulas. The striker, who only turned 18 last week, is under contract until 2030 at Olympiacos.
With Champions League football on the horizon and Newcastle set to lose Callum Wilson at the end of the month, Eddie Howe is looking for attacking reinforcements to assist Alexander Isak in leading the forward line.
Newcastle already have a young ‘project player’ in Will Osula as an attacking option and shelling out in excess of £30million on a highly promising but still relatively unproven teenager does not align with the club’s immediate transfer priorities this summer. After successfully navigating PSR and qualifying for the Champions League, Newcastle are looking to add to the squad with proven Premier League quality players as a priority.
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Newcastle United have two signings already lined up
But that’s not to say Newcastle won’t be looking at making some signings for the future. The Magpies already have two teenage signings lined up with Vakhtang Salia and Antonio Cordero joining from Dinamo Tbilisi and Malaga respectively.
Both players are set to be loaned out for the 2025-26 campaign though Howe has stressed that there will be a clear pathway to the first team for any young arrivals in the years to come.
NUFC’s Babis Kostoulas problem
Kostoulas is no doubt a player to keep an eye on for many clubs following his breakthrough season at Olympiacos at just 17.
But it’s also worth noting that Olympiacos are owned by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. As a result, Olympiacos’ business with Premier League clubs other than Forest in recent seasons has been limited.
So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that Newcastle, Brighton, Arsenal or any of Forest’s domestic rivals would have to pay a premium in order to convince the Greek champions to sell one of their top talents.
Forest and Newcastle did help each other navigate PSR issues last summer with a transfer agreement that saw Odysseas Vlachodimos join Newcastle for £20million while Elliot Anderson went in the opposite direction for £35million. While the deal helped Newcastle avoid a points deduction, Forest certainly came out on top with Anderson enjoying a fine season at the City Ground while Vlachodimos is still yet to make his full debut.
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