Speaking on The Done Deal Show, Ben Jacobs has made a rather remarkable claim about Newcastle United and Kylian Mbappe.
From the day Newcastle were bought by PIF, there had been murmurs amongst fans and pundits that a move for Mbappe could surface in the future. After all, this is the richest club in the world and the most high-profile footballer on the planet.
That all seemed to be baseless speculation though. Until now that is.
Indeed, it has been widely reported this week that Mbappe now wants to leave PSG, and according to Jacobs, St James’ Park is a possible destination, but the Magpies would have to get Champions League football for that to happen.
Mbappe to Newcastle?
Jacobs shared what he knows about the 23-year-old and Newcastle.
“And Newcastle, as I mentioned is another possible destination in the sense that PIF want a marquee signing, but it will be very difficult to persuade Mbappe to join Newcastle. There is nothing in it at this stage, there’s been no contact, he’s not a player Ashworth is working on,” Jacobs said.
“It’s Newcastle’s ambitious ownership group saying ‘what if we could get a young, elite star to build our model around.’ Newcastle would have to enter the race late because they would have to show that they have Champions League football, and they know already that they’re way down the list of possible destinations.”
Imagine the money
We all love to tell ourselves that football is about a lot more than just money, but the reality is that finances are a huge factor in this game.
Newcastle’s owners have an unimaginable net worth, and the money involved in a deal to sign Mbappe would genuinely be dumbfounding.
The transfer fee would surely be in excess of £150m, while he could easily be the first £1m-a-week player if he were to come to Newcastle.
This could well be the transfer story of the century.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
