NUFC reporter confirms Miguel Almiron agreement – but he’ll only sign on one condition..

North-East reporter Craig Hope has confirmed that Newcastle HAVE agreed a deal in principle to sign Miguel Almiron on loan with an option to buy for £15m – however Benitez now faces an ‘anxious wait’ to see if Mike Ashley will sanction the move in January.

This comes after Paraguayan reporter Roberto Rojas claimed last night that his move to Tyneside was almost a ‘done deal’ – with this coming just a week after our head of recruitment was confirmed to have jetted out to America to negotiate a deal for the MLS star.

Here’s a snippet from the Mail’s piece, confirming that a deal for Almiron is now in place – meaning his move is ready to go through in the new year – although it seems Benitez is still unsure if Ashley will allow the deal to happen given the takeover uncertainty:

Newcastle have a deal in place to sign Paraguay playmaker Miguel Almiron – but Rafa Benitez faces an anxious wait to see if the club’s hierarchy sanction the move.

Head of recruitment Steve Nickson has been in the US discussing terms with MLS side Atlanta United, and we understand that was a successful trip.

It has left the Magpies at the front of the queue to sign the 24-year-old with an initial loan move followed by a £15million summer transfer thought to be the package in place.

However, Benitez does not yet know if owner Mike Ashley will sign off on the deal, or if takeover talks could complicate the purchase of new players.

Almiron is at the very top of the manager’s wishlist for January and he sees him playing in a withdrawn forward’s role, a position which has been a problem for Newcastle in recent seasons.

Understand NUFC do have a deal in place to sign Miguel Almiron but Rafa Benitez now faces wait to see if Mike Ashley will sanction the move (plus there is the complication of possible takeover) https://t.co/oewIV5uKov

— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) December 6, 2018

It really would be infuriating if Ashley refused to sanction this deal.

Not only have we spent time scouting this player and sending a club official out to the US to negotiate a deal (which has clearly proved to be a successful trip), this is a player ‘at the vert top’ of Rafa’s wish-list.

Even then, a loan deal with a £15m fee to follow next summer would surely suit Ashley down to the ground? If he sells in the next month then he only has to take care of the loan element of the deal (with any new owner likely to pay the £15m next summer). And, even if he did not sell up and had to pay £15m himself next summer, this seems like a snip for a player of Almiron’s potential.

Get it done Mike. There’s no excuses with this one.