Newcastle now ready to meet £17m asking price to sign player who is just ‘so good’

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As Newcastle continue their fight to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, recruitment plans are ongoing behind the scenes.

Paul Mitchell – Director of Football at Newcastle – doesn’t need to perform major surgery on the squad this summer for Eddie Howe, with the Magpies in fine shape.

Newcastle can boast 18 wins in the Premier League this season – more than Manchester City and the same as Arsenal – with stars such as Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes showing that competition for places breeds impactful performances.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	33	24	7	2	75	31	44	79
2	ArsenalArsenal	33	18	12	3	61	27	34	66
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	33	18	6	9	53	39	14	60
4	NewcastleNewcastle	33	18	5	10	62	44	18	59
5	Man CityManchester City	33	17	7	9	64	42	22	58
6	ChelseaChelsea	33	16	9	8	58	40	18	57

There is – however – some fine tuning needed in some areas, and Newcastle are now ready to make a bid to sign Alexis Saelemaekers from AC Milan.

Newcastle can afford to sign Alexis Saelemaekers

Il Messaggero are now claiming that Newcastle are ready to ‘invest’ and meet the €20m (£17m) asking price required to sign the Belgium international.

The Italian news outlet believe Roma would like to keep Saelemaekers after he delivered a string of impressive performances while on loan from AC Milan, scoring six goals and providing six assists in 29 appearances so far this season.

However, it is said that Roma are unwilling to spend £17m on the Belgian, which has opened the door for Newcastle – who also want Malick Thiaw – to pounce.

The Magpies, as well as Nottingham Forest, are said to be open to paying that sum to sign the man from Sint-Agatha-Berchem, which we feel is a fair asking price for a talented player who is still just 25 years of age.

Eddie Howe could land an incredible utility player

Every top side needs a utility player who can shine in several areas as cover, like Jurgen Klopp had with James Milner at Liverpool.

Saelemaekers could be exactly that for Howe – who has already landed Antonio Cordero – having played in as many as seven positions for Roma this season.

The Roma No.56 has made most of his appearances on the right of midfield, but has also been used as a left-back, a striker, a right-sided and left-sided forward, a left midfielder, a central attacking midfielder and even as a striker.

Gianluca Mancini, a teammate of Saelemaekers at Roma, has even commented on this versatility, telling DAZN: “He’s so good. He plays in all the roles as if it were nothing. I’m happy to have him as a teammate.”

Therefore, a £17m deal could prove to be a bargain if Mitchell can deliver it for Howe this summer.