Bundesliga outfit Mainz expect Jerry St Juste to leave in the summer transfer window with Premier League moneybags Newcastle United keen, as reported by BILD.
What do Sven Botman, Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile all have in common? Well, apart from the fact that Newcastle United tried to sign them during January of course.
Come the summer, the asking price for the centre-back trio is likely to start in the region of £40 million. The Magpies would have little choice but to part with a club-record fee as Eddie Howe looks to bring a top-class defensive talent to St James’ Park.
St Juste, however, will be available for a damn sight less. £30 million less, in fact.
According to BILD, Europa League-chasing Mainz want just £10 million for the jet-heeled Dutchman.
What’s more, with his contract expiring in just over a year, The 05ers expect St Juste to have a new club by the time the 2022/23 season kicks off.
The former Feyenoord youngster, a 2019 signing from the Eredivisie giants, will be available for a knock-down fee and Mainz are already scouring the market for replacements.
£10 million is not a lot for a defender of his talent and potential. But a £10 million windfall is certainly preferable to losing St Juste for absolutely nothing when his contract expires.
Will Jerry St Juste be Newcastle’s next centre-back?
Sky claim that Newcastle opened talks with the former Netherlands U21 international during the dying moments of the January transfer window before landing Dan Burn from Brighton.
St Juste, should he arrive in the summer, would bring some much-needed pace to Howe’s solid but stately backline.
He was clocked as the fastest footballer in the Bundesliga recently. Quite the achievement, given that Erling Haaland, Leroy Sane and Alphonso Davies also ply their trade in Germany’s top flight.
And, if you care about these things, St Juste is also the quickest centre-back in the FIFA 22 video game, with a sprint speed rating of 91. So there’s that.
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