‘Done deal’ - Newcastle United transfer target set for medical as release clause triggered by Liverpool

Both Newcastle and Liverpool have been in talks regarding the 22-year-old attacking-midfielder but The Magpies weren’t willing to meet the £61million release clause in his Leipzig contract.

It is understood the release clause was only able to be triggered on or before June 30 this transfer window with Liverpool making a late move to trigger it. It had previously been indicated that Liverpool and Newcastle would wait until after the release clause had expired before making a move, but after reports from Germany suggested Leipzig would likely demand more than the release clause, Liverpool pounced.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Szoboszlai’s move to Liverpool is a ‘done deal’ with a medical planned.

And Newcastle will have to look elsewhere once again after already losing out on James Maddison to Tottenham Hotspur. Szoboszlai was viewed as an alternative option to Maddison but would come at a higher price than the £40million Spurs paid Leicester City for the England international.

Szoboszlai contributed with 10 goals and 13 assists last season as Leipzig secured Champions League qualification and won the DFB Pokal.

But Newcastle are still set to announce a big transfer of their own with Sandro Tonali arriving from AC Milan. The deal is reportedly worth an initial £52million but could rise to £60million with add-ons.

Tonali is due on Tyneside to put the final touches to the deal and perform club media duties before the official announcement.