Newcastle United transfer news RECAP: Toon join Everton in Thomas Muller pursuit

Welcome back to our Newcastle United transfer live blog!

The transfer window has thrown up plenty of twists and turns for The Magpies so far and there is set to be plenty more to come before Monday’s deadline.

We’ll have all of today’s transfer stories covered here in our live blog.

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Reports emerged on Tuesday evening that Newcastle United had submitted a formal bid of €40million to Lyon for Guimaraes.

Various sources then claimed on Wednesday that a fee had been agreed with Lyon and the player is set for a medical at Newcastle ahead of a potential move.

The 24-year-old is currently away in Ecuador with Brazil’s national team and it is understood that he will undergo a Newcastle medical while on international duty.

Sources on Newcastle’s side also feel that the deal is moving in a positive direction as they look to secure the player before deadline day on January 31.

Lyon present a fresh twist

As the Guimaraes to Newcastle story gathered momentum, Lyon issued a strong statement categorically denying the ‘false information’ that a fee had been agreed.

Lyon’s statement read: “Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media reporting an agreement between Newcastle and OL for the transfer of Brazilian international midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.”

This appears a big blow to Newcastle’s transfer hopes on face value but several sources have maintained that a deal remains close despite Lyon’s statement.

And the previous time the Ligue 1 club issued such a statement was back in 2019 regarding Ferland Mendy and Real Madrid, a deal which ultimately went through a week later.

The fact Lyon are a publicly listed company on the stock exchange means they are obliged to make any announcement that could significantly impact the business (such as a €40million transfer) to the stock exchange first. This could help explain why they have issued such a statement, particularly in relation to the potential transfer fee for Guimaraes.

Speaking at Newcastle’s training camp in Saudi Arabia, Howe said: “A lot of hard work is being done back in England.

“I’ve got no news to tell everybody at the moment but I’m keeping regularly updated but as we know it’s a difficult window and we just hope we can get a couple more additions to boost the squad.”

Newcastle United’s Premier League match at Chelsea in March has been rescheduled.

The match has been picked for a live television broadcast on Sky Sports and will now kick-off at 2pm on Sunday, March 13 as a result.

The fixture at Stamford Bridge was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 12.

The Magpies have lost each of their last nine visits to Chelsea’s home ground since Papiss Cisse’s brace secured a 2-0 win back in 2012. Chelsea won last season’s fixture 2-0 behind closed doors.

Brighton defender Dan Burn has emerged as a transfer target for Newcastle United with the former Magpies youngster reportedly ‘very keen’ on a move back to his boyhood club.

If Burn makes the move back to the north east, for a fee believed to be around £10m, then it would be redemption for the defender who has admitted that he doesn’t look back too fondly on his time at Newcastle:

“I was there from 11 to 13, but don’t remember much of my time, maybe I’ve blocked a lot of it out, because it wasn’t a particularly good experience being let go by the club you support, with the realisation setting in that you’re probably not good enough to play at that level.”

Joelinton, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett were forced off during last weekend’s 1-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road. The trio, however, still travelled to Jeddah for the club’s training camp.

“The three players that came off, none of them have trained, and we don’t expect them to immediately,” said head coach Howe. “I’m not sure of the extent of the injuries. I think it’s one of those difficult ones to judge, because we may need scans to determine that, and we haven’t had the luxury of doing that yet.”

Meanwhile, Federico Fernandez, sidelined since last month with a thigh injury, is “edging closer” to a return.

“He’s edging closer to returning to the group,” said Howe. “He’s not quite there yet, so this is a delicate stage. We want him back as quickly as possible, but we don’t want to push him to where he has a setback.”

Everton and Newcastle United have both been linked with a move for Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller. The 32-year-old forward, who has spent his entire career to date with the Bavarian giants, has just a year and a half left on his existing contract. (SportBILD)

Newcastle United are the latest side to be credited with an interest in Nottingham Forest sensation Brennan Johnson, who is valued at £20m. Leeds United are also interested, but Brentford are the only side yet to submit a formal bid. (The Athletic)

West Ham United are said to have upped their offer for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike to around £20m. The in-demand starlet has been linked with a host of Premier League sides this month, including Spurs, Newcastle and Leicester City. (Team Talk)