Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has been sharing some details regarding recent rumours suggesting that Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden could be on his way to Southampton this summer.
This comes after Kennedy made an appearance on a recent edition of NUFC Matters on Steve Wraith’s YouTube channel where he spoke about a variety of topics concerning the Tyneside club.
After it was recently reported that Southampton are weighing up a potential move for Hayden this summer, Kennedy had this to say on the matter.
He said: “Newcastle United are not in talks with Southampton to swap Isaac Hayden, to sell Isaac Hayden – nor were they in talks last week with Watford to swap or sell Isaac Hayden.
“I can’t tell you with any degree of certainty whether Isaac Hayden is a definitive part of Steve Bruce’s plans moving forward, but he certainly isn’t trying to shift him out the door at the moment, and there are no talks with Southampton, whether that’s a swap deal or a straight sale.”
Newcastle signed Hayden back in the 2016 summer transfer window from Arsenal’s U23 side.
Since then, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £9 million, has made 157 appearances for the Toon across all competitions in which he has managed to score six goals and provide 11 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments on Hayden…
Listening to what Kennedy had to say, it’s safe to assume that Hayden isn’t likely to be heading to Southampton this summer, especially with the fact that his current contract at Newcastle is not set to expire until 2026.
Would you be disappointed if Newcastle sold Hayden this summer?
Yes
No
In our view, the fact that the club offered Hayden his long-term contract back in September suggests that he is indeed part of their plans for the future and that they don’t intend on letting him leave anytime soon.
Also, with Hayden starting 22 out of the 27 Premier League games he was available for last season suggests to us that Bruce sees him as an important figure in his squad.
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