Newcastle United have a long-standing interest in Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga, and they could attempt to sign him again this summer.
In Evangelos Marinakis, however, the Reds have an owner who drives a hard bargain.
Forest don’t need to sell this summer, and as a result, it’s going to take a market-changing bid to entice the club into doing business for any of their star players.
Elanga has been in rip-roaring form for Forest, and given his electric pace, he feels like a very important player in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images
Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images
What Newcastle are proposing for Anthony Elanga
The Northern Echo have delivered an update on the situation involving Elanga, and Forest fans might be forgiven for finding it highly amusing.
They believe that the £50 million that Forest values Elanga at is too high for them this summer, so they would like to strike a deal on lower terms.
It’s claimed that they want Forest to accept an offer of £35 million as a starting sum, with a string of add-ons and performance-related bonuses included in the deal.
This all feels a little bit rich from a Newcastle perspective. There’s absolutely no way they would consider such a ridiculous deal for the likes of Alexander Isak or Bruno Guimaraes, so quite why they think Forest will go for the same is just unfathomable.
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Elanga has a contract at Forest until 2028 and as a result, there is absolutely no urgency to cash in or start lowering the valuation of one of the club’s top performers.
Forest have to stand firm on Elanga
Given Forest’s position in the food chain, every player will have a valuation that Forest simply believes will be too good to turn down.
However, there’s a sense here that Newcastle are treating the club as a lesser custodian and feel like they can unsettle the player and get their hands on Elanga on the cheap.
Forest can’t allow that to happen and in fairness, with Marinakis steering the ship, it’s unlikely he’s going to be doing a rival any big favours.
Elanga scored six times and claimed 12 assists last season, which makes him extremely tricky to replace should it come to that during the summer.
Newcastle’s current proposal is laughable and unless they’re going to get serious any time soon, the Reds would be wise to walk away from the table and ignore any further advances from them.