Fresh reports claim NUFC have revived their interest in £13m midfielder – deal said to be ‘close’

News has emerged from Greek and Portuguese outlets today suggesting Newcastle are ‘set to sign’ formerly linked Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris, with a deal in the region of €15m (£13.5m) close to being agreed.

Newcastle’s official media partner, The Mirror,  broke an exclusive story on the 6ft 2′ defensive midfielder this time last month, claiming we were closing in on a £17.5m deal to sign Greek international.

Since then, interest appeared to have cooled, with more local reports suggesting Newcastle were in fact unwilling to meet Benfica’s €20m valuation – seemingly reasonable given he is 28.

Fresh reports from Portuguese outlet ‘O Jogo’ have emerged today, however, claiming that Newcastle are close to striking a €15m (£13.5m) deal with Benfica – which seems realistic given Newcastle were previously unwilling to pay the £20 (£18m) asking price.

Benfica are said to be closing in on the signing of fellow defensive midfielder Santiago Ascacíbar, only adding to the likelihood of Samaris’ exit.

Given the conflicting reports from Portuguese press during our ‘pursuit’ of Ruben Semedo earlier this summer, it’s hard to take this with anything other than a pinch of salt.

Newcastle’s interest in Samaris has been previously confirmed, but time will tell if this deal is at the advanced stage today’s reports suggest.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

3 thoughts on “Fresh reports claim NUFC have revived their interest in £13m midfielder – deal said to be ‘close’

  1. My only concern is we end up a team thrown together at the last minute. We need a good start in the pl , spurs will not be easy. Clearly fringe players will be released and replaced by better quality, but they will still need time to gel. Let’s hope this is not another red herring on transfers….

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  2. Ivor Clark:
    My only concern is we end up a team thrown together at the last minute. We need a good start in the pl , spurs will not be easy. Clearly fringe players will be released and replaced by better quality, but they will still need time to gel. Let’s hope this is not another red herring on transfers….

    That is ok. Taking time to gel is way better than the situation of no ppl coming in. It is not ideal, but it is not the worst either.

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