Newcastle United are currently in talks with Nottingham Forest over Jack Colback with the midfielder moving closer to exiting St James Park, according to the Chronicle.
The regional newspaper claim that the Championship side are keen to sign the 28-year-old on a permanent basis but are yet to agree on a fee or an agreement regarding the player’s wages.
The Chronicle report that Colback currently earns £40,000-a-week at the Magpies and that Rafa Benitez has already informed the player that he is not a part of his plans for next season.
While it’s believed that Forest want to sign the defensive midfielder on a full-time basis, Sky Sports are reporting that the two clubs are discussing a loan move for Colback.
OPINION
It will be a blow to the Magpies if they’re unable to get Colback permanently off their books this summer. The midfielder’s current lucrative contract ends next summer which means he’ll be able to walk away from St James Park without the Magpies receiving a fee for his services. However given his £40,000-a-week deal then it’s a least a good sign that the club have found someone to get him off their wage bill for the season. It’s unknown if Forest will be covering all his wages if they secure his services on a temporary basis but they will definitely at least lower how much he is currently costing the club every week. The 28-year-old made 16 appearances for Forest in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign after joining them on loan in January and it’s clear that their manager Aitor Karanka was impressed by the player. While Sky Sports are claiming that a loan deal is what is being discussed, hopefully the pair do find a way to come to an agreement regarding Colback’s permanent departure this summer instead. The Nottingham Post reported yesterday that with Forest wanting Colback on a permanent basis they were making a concrete push to get a deal for him done within the next seven days, which should spell good news for the Magpies.
