Newcastle United are left negotiating a price with Portuguese heavyweights Porto after an offer was tabled and personal terms were agreed for defender Chancel Mbemba, states the players agent.
The Democratic Republic of Congo international has been firmly out of favour under manager Rafael Benitez, falling behind Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark in the pecking order at St James’ Park, and an exit this summer seemed to be on the cards.
Now the player’s agent, Fabio Baglio, has confirmed that the two clubs are in crunch discussions, and that Porto have tabled a bid which they are waiting for Newcastle to respond to.
He told Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol: “Negotiations are now happening between the two clubs.
“We were in Porto this week and the player has agreed a deal for four years.
“This week there will be a response from Newcastle to FC Porto’s proposal. We are convinced that everything will be settled.”
Opinion
Mbemba had no future at Newcastle, with Benitez simply not trusting the centre back, and an exit was almost inevitable as the summer came around. The Magpies know they have to sell off some deadwood from the side to bring in both additional funds to the transfer kitty as well as cut the wage bill, and Mbemba would have been pretty high up the shortlist of those destined for the exit door. He will not be the only one to leave, and with everything else sorted, it all comes down to the price Newcastle are going to demand for his signature. This could prove to be a sticking point, with Benitez knowing every penny counts, and negotiations could stretch on a bit longer over the coming weeks. One thing seems certain, and that is that the defender will be leaving Newcastle summer – as for his final destination, that remains to be seen.