Newcastle have a deal in place to sign Hoffenheim striker Joelinton but they want their new manager to green light the move before they pull the trigger, according to Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards.
Newcastle are still trying to formalise a deal for Steve Bruce, who reportedly resigned from Sheffield Wednesday as the two clubs negotiate over compensation. Bruce only joined the Championship club in January and is on a rolling one-year deal.
The Sun claimed that Mike Ashley had sent a sum of £4million in compensation but that Sheffield Wednesday had not accepted it. That prompted Bruce to take matters into his own hands.
Time is ticking
It might well be too late for Bruce to hook up with Newcastle on their pre-season tour of China. They play Wolves on Wednesday with Ben Dawson in temporary charge of the club.
However, there are just 24 days left of the summer transfer window and Newcastle will be keen to get their new man in place as soon as possible – especially if the deal for Joelinton hinges on it.
TIF Tactics – Is Joelinton the answer?
Newcastle are in desperate need of a striker, with Ayoze Perez sold to Leicester, Salomon Rondon back at West Brom and Joselu completing a move to La Liga side Alaves on Monday.
Is Joelinton the answer?
At just 22-years-old he’s got age on his side and while he didn’t score as many goals as Rondon last season (seven to Rondon’s 11 across all competitions) he is more of an all-round attacker.
He has a better passing game than Rondon, as evidenced by these stats from WhoScored.com, with an average of 1.5 key passes per game (18/19 season).
In terms of career stats, Joelinton scores an average of 0.39 goals per 90 minutes with an xG just slightly better at 0.41 [wyscout.com]. Assist and xA numbers are 0.12/0.11.
Rondon’s numbers are 0.3/0.3 (goals/expected goals) and 0.09/0.06 (assists/expected assists). Rondon has proved himself in the Premier League though.
The Daily Mail claims that Ashley is ready to spend £36million on Joelinton and at that price he would represent a big risk – but it’s the level of signing that would give Newcastle fans some comfort in what’s been a pretty bleak summer so far. Bruce could be the key that unlocks the deal.