Newcastle United transfers: £60m offer made for ex-Leeds star as ‘flop’ linked with £6m return

Newcastle United make £60m ‘verbal offer’ to sign former Leeds United man from Barcelona

Newcastle United missed out on signing former Leeds United winger Raphinha last summer as the Brazilian joined La Liga giants Barcelona instead. But after less than a season and Camp Nou, the 26-year-old is being linked with a Premier League return.

Raphinha joined Barca for a reported £55million fee from Leeds last summer and has since scored 10 goals in 45 appearances for the Spanish outfit in all competitions. But with Newcastle looking to strengthen in the summer in preparation for European football, Raphinha has re-emerged as a potential target.

And Spanish transfer insider Gerard Romero has claimed The Magpies have made a ‘verbal proposal’ for Raphinha totalling around £60million. And with Barcelona still battling with Financial Fair Play restrictions, they could be tempted to cash-in on the player for a small profit after a largely unspectacular campaign.

Newcastle’s Premier League rivals Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in the Brazilian, who scored 17 times in 65 Premier League matches for Leeds United.

But The Magpies are yet to receive a response to their proposal as they continue to scour the market ahead of the summer transfer window.

Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool target ‘very sure’ to stay at Barcelona

Elsewhere at Barcelona, forward Ansu Fati is ‘sure’ to stay at the La Liga side amid Premier League interest.

Newcastle United were reportedly interested in taking the 20-year-old on loan for the 2023-24 season while Premier League clubs Liverpool and Arsenal have also been linked.

Although Fati has made 46 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions this season, scoring seven goals, he has been limited to just 13 starts. This fuelled speculation that the young winger could look to seek first-team opportunities elsewhere.

Due to the lack of starts, the Barca No. 10’s father, Bori Fati, previously told Spanish outlet Cope: “If it was up to me, I would take him [to another team], but he wants to stay at Barcelona.”

In a subsequent interview this week, Fati Snr was asked how sure he is about his son staying at Camp Nou.

“If Ansu stays at Barca? Yes, yes, very sure,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “We are very happy.”

Former Newcastle United flop bizarrely linked with £6m St James’ Park return

From the unlikely to the completely bonkers transfer rumours as Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in one of their former midfielders.

Nabil Bentaleb joined Newcastle on loan from Schalke during the second half of the 2019-20 season. In 12 matches, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder flattered to deceive on Tyneside as he returned to Germany before joining Ligue 1 side Angers in 2022.

But with Angers’ relegation now confirmed with five games remaining, Bentaleb has conveniently been linked with a return to Newcastle by Competition, a news outlet in his home country of Algeria. The report claims Newcastle have offered the 28-year-old another chance in the Premier League after he supposedly ‘shone brightly’ in the French top tier despite suffering relegation with just 14 points.

Bentaleb will reportedly be allowed to leave for £6million this summer. Although Newcastle do need midfield reinforcements this summer, they will almost certainly not entertain a return for the Algerian.