EXCLUSIVE: Newcastle to sign ‘CJ’ Afumuzor despite interest from Man Utd and Aston Villa

Newcastle United have secured the first of many Academy signings set to arrive this summer, with highly-rated Portsmouth talent Chukwudi “CJ” Afumuzor closing in on a move to the North East.

We can exclusively reveal that the 14-year-old – thought to be one of the best Category three players in the country – completed a medical at Newcastle last week after a fee was agreed in May following talks.

Afumuzor also received serious interest Aston Villa, Manchester United, Brighton, but Newcastle presented the best offer and have secured his signature ahead of several Premier League rivals.

‘CJ’ is a combative midfielder who operates best as a No.8. He has a tall frame for his age, standing 5ft 9′ and has been praised for his engine, ball-winning qualities and ability to drive forward at opposition defences. The box-to-box midfielder also showed his eye for goal last term, scoring over 20 goals for Portsmouth’s youth teams.

The Pompey talent is expected to link up with Newcastle’s U15 side ahead of the coming season, having featured at U14, U15 and even U16 level for Portsmouth over the 2023/24 campaign.

One for the future, but a great coup for Newcastle’s youth department ahead of a busy summer of incomings as we bid to improve every area of our academy following years of neglect.