According to The Northern Echo, Mike Ashley wants Newcastle United to sign ‘promising youngsters with sell-on value’ – hence the pursuit of Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence.
It’s claimed that Ashley allowed Steve Bruce to change Newcastle’s transfer policy over the summer, focusing on signing more experienced players.
Callum Wilson, Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser all have Premier League experience, Jamal Lewis played in the top flight last season and Mark Gillespie is 28.
With those signings now made, Ashley wants to return to the strategy of signing young players with resale value, with the club’s recruitment staff already finding targets.
One of them is Middlesbrough ace Spence, with Newcastle’s talent spotters allegedly viewing him as a player of ‘particular interest’.
Spence, 20, was formerly at Fulham but has now become a first-team star at Boro, first impressing under Jonathan Woodgate and now Neil Warnock.
Warnock even compared Spence to both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold in July, backing the right back for a huge future.
With DeAndre Yedlin’s future unclear, Spence could be viewed as a long-term option at right-wing back to Steve Bruce – though much will depend on whether Jacob Murphy continues to impress in that role.
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