Ashley must overcome double blow to land top Newcastle January target Almiron

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Newcastle have been dealt a double blow in their chase for top January target Miguel Almiron of Atlanta, according to the Guardian.

They report that the Magpies have agreed personal terms for the player but must meet a £30m asking price – which would be a club-record fee by quite some distance – as well as fighting off competition from across Europe.

The player’s agent Daniel Campos has said that there is interest in the player from Germany, Italy and Spain as well as England, meaning Newcastle will have to stump up the cash to push to the front of the queue.

And while agreeing personal terms is a major boost for Newcastle’s hopes of signing the player, Mike Ashley must break from the trend that has characterised his time at St James’ Park so far.

Newcastle have moved early and made it plain that Almiron is the man they believe can drag them away from the relegation zone, but this latest double setback puts the onus back on Ashley to stump up the cash.

£30m is a huge outlay but it is far less than Newcastle would lose if they got relegated and while Ashley has shied away from any kind of risk so far, now is the time for him to make a change. But do Newcastle fans realistically believe he will?