Newcastle United are now facing an uphill battle in their attempts to sign Southampton right-back Tino Livramento. The 20-year-old has attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs following the Saints' recent relegation but the south coast outfit are holding out for a significant fee this summer.
Southampton bought Livramento for a mere £8m in 2021 but are hoping to recoup north of £30m for his signature this summer. Chronicle Live understands the Magpies are unwilling to meet such a valuation and could walk away from a deal in the coming days.
Newcastle see the youngster as the perfect backup for Kieran Trippier, with Livramento once seen as England's future right-back before an anterior cruciate ligament left him sidelined for over a year. The full-back returned to action last month and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make a swift return to the top flight.
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Chelsea saw great potential in Livramento as a teenager but the player opted to leave in search of first-team football. The Blues included a buy-back clause and a sell-on fee in the transfer and could be about to activate the former.
The Daily Mail report Chelsea are keen on re-signing Livramento but would be open to loaning him back to St Mary's for the upcoming campaign.
New Southampton boss Russell Martin was quizzed over incomings and outgoings this summer but refused to be drawn on Livramento or another man linked with Newcastle in the form of James Ward-Prowse.
"I have nothing to say about James Ward-Prowse or Tino Livramento," Martin said. "Whilst they are here all we can do is ask them to train and give everything they've got.
"In terms of transfers I've got nothing to say, some people will stay and some people will leave. Jason Wilcox [director of football] will take care of all that stuff and we will have conversations about it because he wants my opinion, but he is looking after the best interests of the club.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it. I hope I can convince some of the players who are 50/50 to stay. I think there will be some players who we can't avoid who will end up back in the Premier League, that's the nature of the game and you have to respect that."
