Newcastle United look set to receive an initial £30m for the sale of Allan Saint-Maximin, who looks all set to seal a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
It was reported last night that their initial offer came in around the £22m mark, but we’ve been told by a source with strong links in recruitment that a bid of £30m + add-ons has now been accepted.
Crucially, the final fee will go beyond £30m, with Newcastle set to receive a series of future payments for the winger. These are guaranteed bonuses, not performance based add-ons, although it’s not currently clear how much they will amount to.
The deal will be scrutinised given the Public Investment Fund own a majority stake in Newcastle United (80%) and Al-Ahli (75%), but it’s now considered a matter of time until the 26-year-old swaps St James’ Park for the Saudi Pro League.
A lucrative contract offer is on the table – reports suggest he’ll earn around £200,000 per-week – and his exit could kickstart a couple of first-team additions, with Harvey Barnes expected to be the first following Sandro Tonali’s £52m arrival.
Barnes is expected to complete his medical over the weekend before jetting out to the USA, where he’ll join our tour of the States ahead of Summer Series games against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton.
Thank you for your service ASM, and good wishes for the future..
Barry Redfern(Quote)
Sorry to see super MAX go.
He was great to watch.
Mr Donald Maclean(Quote)
Gutted to see ASM leave, Howe said he didn’t want him to leave either, anyway it is our Saudi masters who’ve pushed this through, so can’t bite the hand that feeds us.
Yeoman Keith Phillip(Quote)
I’m a Newcastle United fan it’s a shame to see allan saint-maximin go you have been an excellent player and a great asset to the club for a very long time and you have been a great striker for the Newcastle team also we will all miss you so good luck on your next journey for ya new football team for the foreseeable future
Sarah(Quote)
i dont buy the ‘its been forced on us’, routine, i do believe he’s been asked to move on though internally by the club, but only because it allows us to do a (near enough) same cost trade for barnes and allows us to spend further. You have to understand how FFP works to understand why this trade makes sense. I obviously dont know the precise FFP numbers for the toon, but this could be the difference in getting another big first team upgrade through the door which is def needed when competing on 4 fronts.
Good luck all the same to ASM, a good guy and a good pro.
Smitty Robinson(Quote)