It’s deadline day – and it’s kicked off with an update on Conor Gallagher’s situation, with The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards revealing the latest state of play.
He reports that Chelsea are unwilling to loan the 22-year-old to Newcastle – as they see us as a direct rival to their top four hopes – and have named the staggering fee they’d accept.
It’s believed they would entertain a permanent deal, but only if we agree to pay ‘in excess of £50m.’ Considering the FFP restrictions we’ve been working under this month, it’s no surprise to hear we’ve been ‘put off’ by this staggering asking price.
Toon chiefs also believe Chelsea are quoting us an inflated fee for the former Crystal Palace loanee, feeling the Newcastle-tax has applied once again.
Edwards believes that we’ll make a ‘final enquiry’ in the coming hours over Gallagher to see if there’s any change in stance on a potential loan move, but adds that we’ll try again this summer for the England international if he doesn’t arrive today.
The high-energy midfielder is believed to be a long-standing target of Eddie Howe’s, so it seems he could be one to watch heading into the summer, even if he ends up staying put today.
Elsewhere, Sander Berge looks unlikely – he’s ‘likely’ to seal a £20m move to Fulham instead – while Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s ‘huge’ wage demands have been a major stumbling block.
January window famous for inflated prices. IMO, Gallagher is probably worth half that with add-ons.
Gordon wasn’t even worth £20 mil. Time will only tell…
Northern soul 66(Quote)