Earlier this morning, reports in Greece claimed that Yoshinori Muto was in ‘advanced talks’ to sign for Aris Salonica.
A few hours on, The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has confirmed that our £9.5m flop has indeed held positive discussions with the Greek side over a permanent move away from St James’ Park.
He had returned to Tyneside last month following a spell in Spain, but was nowhere to be seen in our 3-2 win over Doncaster on Friday night.
Bruce stated that he was unwell at the time, but did confirm after the game that the club were looking to find a “solution” regarding his future.
It’s been clear for some time that he’s not in Bruce’s plans – he’s scored just two goals since arriving at the club in 2018 and did little to impress during his loan spell with Eibar last season.
A permanent move to Greece would be a surprise move and one that will surely see his £54,000 pay packet take a significant cut, however it sums up how his career has gone downhill since Benitez brought him to Newcastle three years ago.
Some feel he’s never been given enough of a chance, but this is the second manager he’s failed to convince – not to mention the fact he managed just three goals in 28 games at Eibar last season.
He’s valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt, but we’d do well to recoup that for him based on his recent decline. Saying that, it’d be a big earner off the wage bill and a move that could give Bruce a little more to spend over the final month of the transfer window.