Brighton & Hove Albion are interested in signing Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden, according to the Chronicle.
The regional newspaper claim that the Magpies’ Premier League rivals are keen on signing the 23-year-old defensive midfielder after he handed in a transfer request due to wanting to move closer to his partner and young daughter.
The Chronicle report that from a football perspective Rafa Benitez doesn’t want to sell Hayden as he rates the midfielder highly, however if the 23-year-old is to depart then he wants a replacement brought in.
It is believed that Chris Hughton’s side are willing to pay £10million for the 6ft 1in tall midfielder (Transfermarkt) if a deal can be agreed to.
OPINION
The Magpies would be making a significant profit on the original £1million they paid out to get Hayden from Arsenal in 2016 and it wouldn’t be a bad bit of business for them to conduct. It seems with Hayden wanting to depart St James Park due to understandable personal reasons then the Magpies have their hands tied when it comes to selling him. However if an offer of £10million is submitted for him and a replacement for him quickly arrives at the club then everyone will be a winner. Hayden, who is contracted to club until 2021, has previously shown glimpse of his potential at the Magpies but he didn’t exactly impress anyone with his performances last season. The 23-year-old was regularly featuring for Benitez in the first-half of the 2017/18 campaign but quickly lost his place due to several poor displays. Hayden ended up making 26 league appearances by the time the season ended and given his performances in the majority of his outings, then his departure won’t have massive effect on the team.
