£12m Newcastle United star linked with Portsmouth ‘homecoming’ following transfer decision

Matt Ritchie will leave Newcastle United at the end of his current contract - concluding an eight-year stay on Tyneside for the former Bournemouth winger. Ritchie moved to St James’ Park in 2016 for £12m, becoming one of Rafa Benitez’s key players during their Championship winning campaign.

Ritchie would be a regular in the Premier League under the Spaniard as well as his successor Steve Bruce. Gametime under Eddie Howe has become more and more limited for the winger, however, he was part of the club’s ‘leadership group’ alongside Jamaal Lascelles, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Dan Burn - playing a key role in leading the squad even if his time on the pitch waned.

Now though, Ritchie, who turns 35 in September, will embark on a new chapter in his career and a return to one of his former clubs has emerged as a possibility. A return to the south coast and Portsmouth, who secured promotion from League One to the Championship, could has been touted as a potential move for Ritchie this summer with Chris Wise, who works as a commentator for Premier League games, pitching that very outcome on social media.

Posting on X, Wise wrote: ‘Matt Ritchie released by Newcastle. He’s got a desire to play for boyhood club Portsmouth again before he retires, so keep an eye on that one this summer. Not saying it’s definitely happening, but it’s got some mileage in it. #Pompey #NUFC’

‘Ritchie would have to accept an enormous drop in wages if he were to join #Pompey. And that might not be a figure either party can reach an agreement on. If it happens, it needs a) Mousinho to see him in his Championship plans and b) Ritchie to sign because of love for club.’

Before being guided to promotion by John Mousinho, Pompey had spent 12 years below the second-tier of English football. A move for Ritchie would help Mousinho add Championship experience to his squad as they embark on their long-awaited return to the division.

However, reports from the Portsmouth News earlier this month suggested that Ritchie was not among those being considered by Pompey for a summer move. Instead, they will likely focus on signing younger players that can be developed at Fratton Park.