Jens Cajuste has been left out of Midtjylland’s squad for the Champions League qualification clash with Celtic amid claims that Newcastle United want the highly-rated midfielder, as reported by the club’s official website.
On the same day Midtjylland confirmed Frank Onyenka’s long-awaited move to Premier League newcomers Brentford, it seems the Danish giants are on the verge of losing another key player to a British-based club.
An aggressive, tough-tackling player who collects yellow cards like they are going out of fashion, Cajuste feels like the kind of tenacious, box-to-box midfielder Steve Bruce has been chasing since early-2020, when Newcastle failed with a club-record bid for the now-Leicester City man Boubakary Soumare.
RMC Sport claimed on Monday that Cajuste had emerged as a target for the Magpies.
Midtjylland are demanding £12 million for the Sweden international, rejecting an opening bid from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes recently.
And Cajuste was conspicuous by his absence as the three-time Superliga champions announced their 24-man squad for Tuesday’s trip to Celtic.
Is Jens Cajuste heading to Newcastle United?
Interestingly, Sory Kaba, the striker linked with Middlesbrough, Swansea City and Watford, was nowhere to be seen either.
Midtjylland manager Bo Henriksen admitted over the weekend that Kaba had been transfer listed, insisting that the 6ft 3ins centre-forward was dreaming of a fresh start elsewhere.
Newcastle’s apparent interest in Cajuste will raise further questions about the future of fan favourite Isaac Hayden at St James’ Park.
The former Arsenal youngster has been one of the most consistent performers of the Steve Bruce era on Tyneside, but reports have suggested Hayden could be sacrificed as a makeweight in a deal that would see Watford play-maker Will Hughes arrive before the end of August.
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