Newcastle United will be braced for key player sales if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
The Magpies have enjoyed a period of great success under Eddie Howe, who has been backed by the club’s Saudi owners. In the past three-and-a-half years alone, Newcastle have twice qualified for the Champions League and reached two EFL Cup finals, winning the trophy against Liverpool last season to end a drought dating back to 1969.
However, this season has been a completely different story. Newcastle have struggled at both ends of the pitch and sit 12th in the Premier League table with 13 defeats and just 12 wins from 31 games. Howe’s side are 12 points adrift of the top four, but do still have a glimmer of hope of Champions League qualification as England are guaranteed five spots this season, with Liverpool just seven points ahead in fifth.
Newcastle set for major outgoings if they miss out on UCL?
Newcastle have just seven games remaining, starting with Crystal Palace away and including an unenviable trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the end of April.
It would go without saying that their transfer plans would be heavily impacted by missing out on Champions League football. However, BBC Sport have now reported on the extent to which they may have to sell key assets.
It’s understood that Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Tino Livramento are already attracting serious attention in the market, and that ‘at least one’ but potentially two of them could depart.
The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal are all looking to strengthen the midfield position this summer and have been linked with Tonali, while the former are thought to have held a longstanding interest in Guimaraes.
Meanwhile, the Gunners also want to improve their options on the flanks and rate Gordon highly in that position, as do the England star’s boyhood club, Liverpool. They and City are also long-term admirers of Livramento at right-back.
BBC sources say that Howe’s ‘appetite to rebuild the squad has not waned’. However, some fans will undoubtedly be frustrated if the Magpies were to fall out of Europe’s elite competition -and perhaps continental football altogether.
A lack of Champions League football would not only make keeping those key players at St. James’ Park a harder job, but it’ll also influence what calibre of player Newcastle are able to attract to replace them.
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