Newcastle United have tried to mutually terminate the contract of striker Yoshinori Muto this summer after talks as Aris Thessaloniki collapsed, according to Chronicle Live.
The Japan striker has one year remaining on his deal at St James’ Park but has no future under Steve Bruce. The Toon have told the 29-year-old that he will not feature in their manager’s plans next season and should look to secure a move away.
Newcastle want to trim their wage bill and believe Muto represents one of their best options. He earns £54,000-per-week on Tyneside but returned to the North East after an underwhelming year on loan at Eibar.
Muto only scored three goals and offered two assists in 28 appearances in all competitions during his time at Eibar last season. He also started just 15 of his outings, while only finding the back of the net during a La Liga fixture in November.
Muto had also scored just once in the Premier League for Newcastle after a £9.5m move from Mainz in 2018. Now, his final appearance in black-and-white is likely to be in a 1-0 friendly defeat to York City.
Newcastle now hope to offload Muto to Vissel Kobe after the Japanese side agreed to sell Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic. The Toon had sought to terminate the Rafa Benitez signing’s contract earlier in the window to clear his remaining wage.
But Muto, seemingly, refused to tear up the final 12-months of his deal, despite a move to Aris Thessaloniki collapsing. Sportime recently reported the Greek outfit were in advanced talks with Newcastle after speaking with the 29-cap Japan international and his agent.
Yet those negotiations stalled, and Muto could now return to his homeland if Vissel Kobe agree terms with Newcastle.
Newcastle will not block Muto joining Vissel Kobe
Newcastle are very unlikely to block Muto from joining Vissel Kobe. Instead, a move to the J1 League side will likely hinge on the forward agreeing to personal terms. Especially as the Toon, allegedly, tried to terminate the striker’s contract to clear his remaining wage.
It was evident from Muto’s La Liga showings with Eibar that Bruce would not offer him another chance at Newcastle. The 29-year-old had to score prolifically to show he could improve on his previous performances with the Magpies.
Muto only started seven of his 25 career Premier League appearances before moving to Spain, in which he scored once. That goal also came in his seventh outing and first start against Manchester United. But like the goal, he failed to build on signs of promise at Eibar.
Former Los Armeros boss Jose Luis Mendilibar was full of praise in December, noting via Chronicle Live: “He has done a sensational job.” But Muto could not keep up that form and it likely cost the forward a future at Newcastle.
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