Newcastle United and Southampton reportedly bid for Phil Foden in January.
Newcastle and Southampton were amongst the Premier League sides to see January loan bids for Phil Foden rejected by Manchester City, according to a report from The Irish Sun.
Foden is establishing himself as one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League. He has made 18 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side in all competitions this season, scoring three times.
The Irish Sun reports that he signed a contract extension in December that is set to run until 2024, and it appears that he was attracting plenty of attention during last month’s transfer window.
According to The Irish Sun, Newcastle, Southampton and Bournemouth all expressed an interest in taking the 18-year-old on loan for the rest of the campaign, but Guardiola rejected all offers as he wants to give Foden a chance to impress in the cups.
It says a lot about Foden’s current ability that he is already getting into one of the most gifted sides in Premier League history. He would have been a fantastic signing for any of the interested clubs.
It would have been interesting had Foden been St James’ Park-bound in January. Rafa Benitez already has two domestic loan signings in Kenedy and Salomon Rondon, so he would have had to make room for the teenager if he wanted to get a deal done.
Perhaps, he was considering allowing Kenedy to head back to Chelsea or was hoping to conclude a permanent move for Rondon.
Miguel Almiron’s arrival may mean that the Magpies do not rue not signing Foden on loan. But given these reports, perhaps the Paraguay international will be under a little more pressure to hit the ground running as the Manchester City ace would have been a very exciting addition.
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