Newcastle United ‘hands tied’ to make £26m transfer with medical booked

Newcastle are currently in the United States for their pre-season tour while Saint-Maximin is set to complete a medical at Al Ahli after a reported £26million fee was agreed between the two clubs. It is set to be United’s biggest transfer departure since the October 2021 takeover.

And it will provide a significant boost to Newcastle in the transfer market by freeing up additional funds as the club strive to adhere to Financial Fair Play regulations.

With The Magpies already signing Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for £52million and agreeing a £38million deal with Leicester City for Harvey Barnes, head coach Eddie Howe admitted selling Saint-Maximin was a necessary move for the club.

“I wouldn’t say it’s forced but Financial Fair Play forces [the sale of Saint-Maximin] to a degree,” Howe said. “We could make a stance not to sell Maxi but we’d put ourselves in a position where we wouldn’t be able to buy Sandro or any other player so our hands would have been tied.

“We knew this summer the likelihood is that we would have to trade a player and [Saint-Maximin] leaving is what looks like will happen.”

Despite Saint-Maximin’s imminent departure, Howe was still keen to praise the winger following their recent conversations. While Howe previously admitted players such as Jonjo Shelvey wanted to leave the club ahead of being sold in January, he refrained from disclosing Saint-Maximin’s preference.

“It’s difficult for me to comment on what Allan wants,” Howe added. “All I can say is that we’ve had conversations together and I respect him immensely and I hope he feels the same way about me and I know he feels the same way about the football club so there has been no issue between us.

“We’ve had a really healthy relationship from day one but sometimes these things have to happen in order for the club to grow and for Allan to experience something different. 

“[The sale] doesn’t change our situation massively but this has enabled us to recruit Sandro and hopefully a couple more players. But who knows.”