Your Newcastle United transfer round-up for Saturday, December 31.
Maddison ‘must be desperate’ for Toon move
The Boxing Day victory over Leicester City may have persuaded James Maddison to join Newcastle, according to Tam McManus. Two attempts to sign the midfielder were swiftly rejected by the Foxes in the summer.
Maddison watched from the bench as Newcastle ran away as comfortable 3-0 winners at the King Power stadium. Speaking to Football Insider, the former Hibernian forward suggested he may now be open to a Toon switch.
READ MORE: Newcastle have transfer blueprint in place ahead of possible January exits
“Maddison must have had a horrible time watching that,” McManus told Football Insider. “Newcastle were so good. When you are a player like him and you see a top team like Newcastle come in while you’re in a team that is struggling, you will wonder if things could have been different.
“Leicester are struggling and Maddison is an outstanding player. I would think he is desperate to join Newcastle after watching that game. They play such good football and the sky really is the limit for them at the moment.”
Audacious £150k-a-week claims
French outlet Foot Mercato claims Newcastle have offered Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy £150k-a-week. Since arriving from Lyon in 2019, the defender - who has nine caps for his national side - has struggled to realise his potential.
Critics have blasted Mendy’s inconsistency but, on his day, he is a handful for any top-class winger. Carlo Ancelotti has stuck by the Frenchman and the move paid dividends, with Real Madrid clinching their 14th Champions League title.
His contract does not expire until 2025, meaning the La Liga giants would demand a sizable fee. The astronomical wages touted would make Mendy the Magpies’ highest earner.
Maddison alternative?
Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo is being monitored by Newcastle as a potential Maddison alternative, reports in Italy suggest. Tottenham Hotspur were understood to be keeping tabs on the 23-year-old in the summer.
Like Maddison, Zaniolo also has 18 months left to run on his contract. Roma boss Jose Mourinho admitted he was scared to lose the Italian in the summer.
“Yes, I was a bit afraid he might leave us,” he said earlier this year. “Not a lot because Tiago Pinto never discussed it with me, never mentioned there was a concrete possibility.”
“Zaniolo is a good kid. When I first came here they all told me he was very unprofessional. Either they were lying to me, or he’s changed a lot. He’s never been late to training, never caused me any problems.”
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