Newcastle United fans are expecting big signings this summer but may instead see a huge exit with Allan Saint-Maximin potentially on his way out.
With PIF’s money coming into the club, many expect Newcastle to go big with a raft of major signings at the end of the season.
Yet reports over the weekend suggest that Newcastle could actually sell Saint-Maximin to help fund some big moves.
The Daily Mail claim that Newcastle are willing to let Saint-Maximin go for fee of around £50million with Aston Villa interested.
That would be a bold decision given that Saint-Maximin is an immensely popular player at Newcastle, capable of thrilling the crowd and producing moments of magic.
We sometimes forget that actually enjoying football and having fun watching players is great. For Newcastle fans, that’s Saint-Maximin; a bundle of entertainment who may not be the most productive player but he makes you enjoy watching him.
The stats aren’t great though. Just two goals in his last 15 games. No assist since September.
Add in that Saint-Maximin usually picks up a couple of niggling injuries a season and you can understand the Magpies looking at a potential market for him.
If Newcastle can secure that £50million fee, it would give them a huge £30million profit on a deal they were advised not to make.
Newcastle struck a deal worth £20million to sign Saint-Maximin in 2019, which looked like a gamble at the time.
Saint-Maximin had failed to truly live up to his potential in France. When Newcastle wanted to sign him, Rafael Benitez made it clear that he didn’t want him.
Benitez ended up leaving and with Steve Bruce coming in, Newcastle went ahead and signed Saint-Maximin anyway.
That decision has paid off. Saint-Maximin’s value has rocketed since then, even if he may never prove to be the complete package out wide.
Newcastle have been famed for big transfer misses in recent times, but in the case of Saint-Maximin, they actually struck gold when they were advised to look elsewhere.
Benitez brought so much to Newcastle, but with his exit prompting the Saint-Maximin deal, he may even admit himself that he got it wrong.
With a £30million profit potentially in the offing, the Magpies may fancy the cash – even if it means selling a popular player.
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