According to reports in the North-East today, Mike Ashley could be tempted to cash in on Jamaal Lascelles if an offer of £30m arrives for the NUFC skipper this summer.
This comes from Scott Wilson – the Northern Echo’s Chief Sports Writer – after news that Everton are ready to step up their interest in the 24-year-old and arrives as potentially infuriating news for us NUFC fans.
It’s accepted by all inside St James’ Park that Jamaal Lascelles is the heartbeat of Benitez’s side and an invaluable asset to the club – but if Mike Ashley can’t see that then we have big problems. I’d also argue that he is worth much more than £30m to NUFC!
Here’s a snippet from their slightly disturbing piece today:
“Lascelles was the mainstay of Newcastle’s defence last season, and Benitez will not want to lose him no matter what bids are received this summer.
“The decision could be taken out of his hands though, with both Mike Ashleyand Lee Charnley having previously conceded that every player has their price. Lascelles does not want to leave Newcastle and recently spoke about his satisfaction with life on Tyneside, but Ashley may regard £30m as a fair price for a player who joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2014 in a joint deal with Karl Darlow that cost around £7m.”
On the bright side, it’s quite clear that Lascelles himself is fully focused on Newcastle United and knows more than anyone else that it’s the perfect place for him to be right now (although the same was said about Andy Carroll prior to Liverpool’s £35m bid..)
That being said, it’s of real concern to hear that Everton are preparing a £30m bid – an offer which Ashley may be tempted to accept if these claims are anything to go by.
It’s worrying to read, but surely Ashley isn’t stupid enough to do this. He’s currently desperate to see Benitez commit to a new contract, yet selling his captain and most influential player would tip him and us fans over the edge.
Click bait he hasn’t set a price it’s simply a rehash of an old statement made by reporters, nobody has specifically stated Lascelles asking price is £30 million.
Pota86ad(Quote)
It’s not al old statement. The story has comes from the guys at the Echo today in response to Everton’s interest.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
The basis of the article is solid – if Ashley receives a big enough offer then ANY player will be sold.
The inaccuracy comes about with the price being set at at a measly 30 million.
You just have to consider that Andy Carroll – with only 6 months in the Prem, and at the time more famous for falling off barstools – was only moved on when a ridiculously high 35 million offer came in. And Liverpool only came in with that because they had a pocket full of change having sold Torres to Chelsea.
Sissoko who’d had one good game, and was roundly abhorred by the fans, was moved on when Tottenham couldn’t figure out what to do with 30 million.
Moving those two on was a bit like Jim Carrey flogging the blind kid a dead budgie in Dumb and Dumber.
The difference her is that Lascelles is actually rated.
For that reason we might end up with a couple of teams bidding in which case if it got up to 45 or 50 million even Rafa would have difficulty saying no.
Disappointing thing is that for a team to be truly great, they need a solid defence.
On goals for we should have finished 13th
On goals against we should have been 7th.
If we sell Lascelles, we better be spending the cash on a couple of really good strikers
Rob Brown(Quote)
The Echo, a Sunderland newspaper, they will print anything to wind up the Newcastle Fans
Dave Emmerson(Quote)
Ashley is capable and willing to do any thing to damage this club and benefit himself for short term. People just refuse to accept it.
funrafa(Quote)
The story was first ‘broken’ by The Sun – a rag who has a track record of making **** up, selling copy and then either recanting it or just ignoring it – when there’s no real news they just make ut up – sorry, but all papers are the same !
David Kirk(Quote)
I do not believe a word of this…
Head line bull **** to sell newspapers.
Can anyone answer this, when was the last time this news source actually released a football related story that was true? I bet it’s been a very long time!
G. Linka(Quote)
funrafa, I think you all but nailed it. It’s not so much that Ashley desires to hurt NUFC and its fans, it’s just that he doesn’t care about the fans or NUFC as a community, and regards NUFC solely as a piece of property to wheel and deal with. It’s about the profit, not the football, for Ashley. While Rafa remains, there is some reason for remaining a NUFC fan, but if he goes it may well be time to put the support for NUFC in hibernation until Ashley himself is gone and then we can start to believe again – Ashley is NOT a true believer!!!
Peter(Quote)
Unbearable news hardly… what’s unbearable is the utter fictional rubbish I read. There has been NO price tag slapped on him and it’s all nothing more than rag paper talk and then social media over hyping it for attention for starters who believes the Sun national rag then to cap it off you have a mackem paper writing any old nonesense it’s not even plausible and for 30 million even the fat man would want more than that ffs this now is just getting ridiculous and it’s no concerne at all Everton are preparing a peanuts offer it’s called fictional garbage and we can all make it up.
Texas(Quote)
Could? May? Possible?
Where is the source of this?
This is typical lazy Journalism where a paper picks up a story run by another paper and uses it as a “reliable source” or “reliable source” when in fact it is a load of old bollocks.
BillytheFish(Quote)