Newcastle United aren’t waving a white flag in their pursuit of Goncalo Inacio, or so it would seem.
The Magpies tried to sign the Sporting Lisbon defender during the January transfer window, only to fail with a £25 million attempt.
And the 20-year-old extending his contract in Portugal until the year 2026 on April 1 appeared to be another coffin nail in Newcastle’s ambition to bring the player to St James’s Park.
However, Inacio’s release clause remains £33 million and according to Record, the Tyneside outfit ‘insist’ on signing him this summer.
But Record also adds that Newcastle have been told that Inacio is a ‘non-negotiable asset’ and that he will not be going anywhere.
Sporting boss Rúben Amorim would, however, be willing to negotiate for the right price, particularly if a total deal winds up costing Newcastle around £37 million, which is strangely higher than his reported buyout clause.
In any case, a difference of £4 million is unlikely to be considered a deal breaker by the powers-that-be at St James’s Park.
Remember, United are owned by Saudi Public Investment Fund, who are worth hundreds of billions of pounds and therefore players like Inacio are easily affordable.
The problem is that selling clubs know how wealthy Newcastle are and the Premier League outfit must be prepared for that inflation.
But if Newcastle – who scouted the player last month – are as ‘insistant’ and determined to sign Inacio as the reports indicate, they’ll pay whatever is needed.
After surviving relegation this season, next term is massive for the Magpies and they’ll be expected to kick on.
The quicker they get their business done this summer, the better.
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