Burnley’s Gudmundsson price-tag puts Newcastle at risk of daylight robbery

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Newcastle United are allegedly keen to sign Johann Berg Gudmundsson from Premier League surprise packages Burnley.

We are living in an era where every young English talent has a £50 million price-tag on his head and where £15 million only gets you a Championship level centre-forward.

But reports in the Sun that Burnley have slapped a £20 million price-tag on the head of Johann Berg Gudmundsson still raises plenty of eyebrows.

The report states that Newcastle United, Southampton and Leicester City are all big fans of the 27-year-old Icelandic winger, who has started every Premier League game since October and has been a major factor in Burnley’s shock rise into the league’s top ten.

It is understood that Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez is a huge fan and the Magpies could certainly do with an added element of creativity, having struggled for goals for the vast majority of the campaign.

But that is nothing compared to a toothless Southampton side who, after being swatted aside 3-0 by Newcastle on Saturday, have scored just 29 goals in 30 league games in a dreadfully dull campaign.

Gudmundsson is certainly a talented player. Not only is he a commendably hard-worker, the former Charlton Athletic man is also a brilliant crosser of the ball and has twice as many assists (six) as anyone else in Burnley’s squad.

But is he worth £20 million, a fee that would make him the most expensive signing in the history of both Newcastle and Southampton? Surely not.

Even in this inflated market, £20 million looks far too much for a player who is an impressive mid-level Premier League player but little more. For that fee, Newcastle and Southampton could sign a player capable of changing a game in an instant.

Gudmundsson would be a decent piece of the puzzle but not the main man.