According to Zona TUDN, Newcastle have submitted a bid to sign Edson Alvarez from Ajax after announcing the arrival of Alexander Isak.
What’s the story?
Well, the market seems to be opening up for Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth – Director of Football at Newcastle.
Zona TUDN – one of the biggest news outlets for Mexican football, with over 1.5m Twitter followers – believe the Magpies have made a bid worth €40m (£34M) for the Mexico international following the signing of Isak.
It comes after Newcastle saw an offer of €30m (£25m) rejected by the Dutch giants.
It has been said that Ajax would prefer to wait until after the World Cup to sell Alvarez, as they expect the £32,500-a-week man’s value to increase with some impressive displays in Qatar this winter.
The 24-year-old has won 55 caps for his country, and Ajax clearly believe he will shine on the world stage in a few months.
Interest in Alvarez – who Marco van Basten thinks is “too slow” – comes after he helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title last season, making 41 appearances in all competitions as he dominated from his defensive midfield position.
Zona TUDN add that Newcastle are pressing the Mexican to make a decision – time is of the essence.
Newcastle may struggle to sign Edson Alvarez
In our view, this may be a tricky deal for Ashworth to complete.
As aforesaid, Ajax would prefer to wait until after the World Cup, and significantly, the Dutch side are not in need of the money.
They have already made a number of significant sales this summer, selling Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United for £57m, Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund for £29m, and Ryan Gravenberch to Bayern Munich for £16m.
For example, Ajax have just rejected a €90m (£76m) bid from Manchester United for Antony, so they seem determined not to lose anymore key men this summer.
Having said that, anything can happen ahead of the September 1st deadline, so keep an eye on developments.
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