Newcastle United could have snapped up reported summer transfer target Florian Lejeune on a cheaper deal a year ago, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper claim that the Premier League side could have saved themselves a seven-figure sum worth at least an extra £1.2million had they moved to sign the 26-year-old defender last summer.
Lejeune, who is currently under contract at La Liga outfit Eibar, has been regularly linked with a move to St. James’ Park ahead of the 2017-18 season, and recent reports suggest that deal is “as good as done”.
The latest Chronicle report states that Newcastle must stump up a fee of at least £8.8million to bring the former Manchester City defender to Tyneside this summer.
However, it is also stated that that fee would have stood at just £7.6million had Newcastle pursued a deal 12 months ago, due to the current difference in the exchange rate between the pound and the euro.
The recruitment process for English clubs to sign players from Europe has been made all the more difficult following the result of the EU referendum, a result that declared Britain were set to exit the European Union.
In the time since, the pound has become worth 14 per cent less meaning players will command a larger transfer fee when swapping Europe for England, like Lejeune.
Yet while Newcastle appear only set to lose out on an extra £1.2million from their pocket, there will be much larger financial ramifications if the club were to pursue multiple deals on the continent.