Newcastle United may have to sell one of their star players this summer
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United and (inset) CEO David Hopkinson
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United and (inset) CEO David Hopkinson
View Image
Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson was adamant in a briefing with journalists last month that they will only sell players this summer on their terms.
Hopkinson, of course, was appointed a few weeks after Alexander Isak's long protracted £125million move to Liverpool was rubberstamped but he feels it was a 'good sale' for the Magpies - even if his replacements Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have failed to set the world alight this season.
And player trading is set to be a significant part of Newcastle's strategy under the former Real Madrid supremo but he was adamant any players wishing to leave the club won't just get their way.
Any deal would have to be right for Newcastle and maximise their potential to reinvest that money into the squad.
Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1HERE– exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, plus an ad-lite experience
"We haven't got an overall strategy with regard to players out, necessarily," Hopkinson said.
"We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer. But if an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms and we're going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club.
"Going forward, our strategy is to buy well and sell well. Buying well does not necessarily mean spending the most money. It means working in the marketplace for the players that generate the most value for this club rather than the fee paid for them.
"So there are a multitude of things we need to employ, including developing our own, looking for opportunities in the marketplace and making sure we are maximising our opportunity within the available price we can produce."
The first test of that stance could come in the shape of Anthony Gordon. Bayern Munich's interest in the Newcastle winger is concrete as they look for quality competition for Luis Diaz on their left-wing.
But their valuation of around £55million is well below the sum Newcastle would consider for a player they paid £40million to sign three years ago and is under contract until the summer of 2030.
Under Eddie Howe, Gordon has established himself as an England regular and scored 10 goals in the Champions League this season. It is believed he has designs on playing in the Champions League next season and would consider a move away from Tyneside.
But Newcastle value him more towards the £80million mark and it remains to be seen whether Bayern would stretch towards that figure. Arsenal and Liverpool are also interested in the 25-year-old and Newcastle would have to balance extracting the highest possible fee against the benefits of selling him abroad rather than to a direct rival.
Certainly, Gordon's future is set to be the first acid test of how much lessons were learned from the Isak saga last summer and he may not be the only player who tests Hopkinson's mettle.
Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento are attracting interest, too, and it would not be a surprise to see clubs test the water over the future of Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall, too.
Hopkinson's hardline stance will be music to the ears of the fanbase and there is an acceptance among supporters that at least one sale may need to be countenanced to help fund the club's rebuild this summer.
But, as always, the hard proof will come in the form of action rather than words.