Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles is once again being linked with a move away with Premier League rivals Everton reportedly interested.
Considering some of the fees flying around these days for highly-rated young centre-backs, £30 million for Jamaal Lascelles is far from unreasonable.
That was around the same fee that West Brom were reportedly demanding for the far older Jonny Evans last summer and less than the price-tags allegedly slapped on the heads of Alfie Mawson, Harry Maguire and co.
The Mirror stated that Leicester City would demand £50 million for Maguire, which is still £7.5 million less than Manchester City paid for Aymeric Laporte and £25 million less than Liverpool splashed out for Virgil van Dijk.
So while Lascelles might have just one full Premier League season under his belt for Newcastle United, and a grand total of zero international caps, there are worse ways to invest £30 million.
The Sun reports that this is the amount Everton will offer for the Magpies skipper, whose future appears to remain uncertain as long as Rafa Benitez has not fully committed himself to the club despite Lascelles himself stating his wish to stay.
Lascelles is one of the few high quality, homegrown defenders on the market right now and he would be an immediate upgrade on the ill-fitting Michael Keane, not to mention a fine long-term successor for Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams.
It is a sign of the times when Lascelles for £30 million looks like good business but that is the reality for Everton. Now, let us see how far Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is really willing to go to back Benitez.
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