Newcastle United “Could Move” for Brighton Star Ayari
Newcastle United could attempt to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yasin Ayari, according to Pete O’Rourke at Football Insider.
The Magpies considered signing the Swedish international during the summer, but opted instead for Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, and Nico González.
23-year-old Ayari has less than a year left on his contract but is in talks over an extension.
“There Will Be Clubs Looking at Him” – O’Rourke
Ayari joined Brighton in a £3.5m transfer from Swedish AIK in January 2023, but his performances for Sweden at the World Cup this summer caught Newcastle’s attention as they searched for replacements for Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães.
His most impressive performance came in the group stages, when he scored two goals in Sweden’s 5-1 win over Tunisia, but the Swedes were eliminated in the round-of-32 after a 3-0 loss to France.
He has made five appearances for Brighton this season, scoring one goal, and starred in the recent 3-0 win over Arsenal. Overall, he has played 82 times for the Seagulls, scoring seven goals. He has also had two loan spells during his time there, at Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers.
O’Rourke says that Brighton are “reluctant” to lose Ayari, but that the current uncertainty over his contract will have alerted other clubs like Newcastle.
Speaking on the podcast Transfer Insider, O’Rourke said: “I think there will be clubs monitoring his situation at Brighton, like Newcastle, who have been interested previously.
“If these contract talks that he’s in at the moment don’t lead to anything, or lead to an extension, I’m sure there will be clubs keeping tabs on Ayari.
“I don’t think Brighton are under any immediate pressure to sort out his contract situation because of that 12-month extension clause they’ve got on it as well.
“There isn’t any panic or anything else over his contract situation and everybody’s relaxed about it, but clubs will be keeping a close eye on his situation.”
The one-year extension, if triggered, would keep Ayari on the south coast until 2028.
Asked about his contract situation after the win over Arsenal before the international break, he gave a blunt response.
“I don’t know, we will see.”
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