Newcastle United ‘agree’ first summer signing with another set to follow

The 14-year-old winger recently impressed while on trial at Newcastle’s academy, according to transfer expert Pete O'Rourke - who claims the club have moved quickly to ‘agree a deal’ that could be worth up to £200,000.

Since Dan Ashworth’s appointment as sporting director at Newcastle last summer, the club has made a significant investment into the academy infrastructure. The Magpies recently handed a debut to 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley in the Premier League at Chelsea while Under-21s players Dylan Stephenson, Jay Turner-Cooke, Joe White and Alex Murphy also featured for the first-team in friendly matches during the season.

Murphy was one of six teenage signings made by Newcastle during the 2022-23 campaign along with Charlie McArthur, Jude Smith, Jordan Hackett, Amadou Diallo and most notably Garang Kuol.

The Magpies are also set to sign 18-year-old Odense winger Yankuba Minteh after a £6million deal was agreed. The Gambian teenager scored four times and registered six assists in 17 appearances for the Danish club in 2022-23.

He was left out of the Odense squad for their Superligaen relegation round clash against FC Midtjylland over the weekend due to the imminent club record transfer.

Odense sporting director Bjorn Wesstrom confirmed the news that Minteh wouldn’t feature against Midtjylland, saying: “It is a difficult decision, but with the risks and opportunities in this case, I have concluded that it is overall the best decision that he sit out the match against FC Midtjylland.”

The teenager has previously addressed Newcastle United’s interest in him. In April, Minteh said: “You should probably take that with my agent. I don’t know anything about it.

“I am ready to take the next step, and it will only be good for me. Of course, I want to go to Newcastle.

“It’s a big club in the Premier League and they’re doing something good. They are fighting for a place in the Champions League.”

It is likely that Minteh, like Kuol, will be loaned out elsewhere in order to aid his development.