'Close' - 30-goal winger spotted at St James' Park ahead of Newcastle United transfer

Newcastle host Bournemouth in the Premier League looking to make it 10 wins in a row for the first time in the club’s history (12:30pm kick-off). Almiron has started just one Premier League match for The Magpies so far this season and is set to be named on the bench by head coach Eddie Howe this afternoon.

The 30-year-old is understood to be close to completing a £10million transfer to his former club Atlanta United. A deal is expected to go through this month, with this afternoon’s match Newcastle’s last at St James’ Park in January.

When asked for the latest on Almiron’s situation, Howe explained: “The latest is we expect him in [Friday] and in the squad [against Bournemouth]

“With him, anything can happen. But he will be in the squad tomorrow.

“He’s been top class, as you know, his playing persona is his personality. He comes in every day and lives his life through the football club.

“I’ve got a player in the squad at the moment who is fit, available and wants to play so I have to use him for the best of Newcastle United until he’s not here.”

Almiron’s exit would leave Newcastle a player short in their squad, with no replacement forthcoming as things stand.

“I think, it’s not ideal for anyone’s viewpoint,” Howe added. “We don’t want to lose players but we know the reality of PSR and managing that situation. We’ll make decisions not based on football but based on business.”

Almiron joined Newcastle from Atlanta in 2019 for a then-reported club-record fee of £21million but he has been limited to just one Premier League start so far this season. He has made 222 appearances for the club over the past six years, scoring 30 goals, including the club’s first Champions League goal in 20 years.