Newcastle United could sell Ritchie to Stoke City for £15million on one major condition, according to a reputable journalist.
Trusted journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that Newcastle will sell Ritchie for £15million, but only once a replacement has been brought in to replace the Scotland international.
As reported by the Chronicle Live, Stoke City had a bid of £15million rejected for Ritchie, but Nixon says that a replacement is the only thing that is holding up the deal, not the fee.
The 28-year-old was a key player for Rafael Benitez’s side last season, making 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing six assists (TransferMarkt).
OPINION
This is an extremely interesting development. If Newcastle have rejected a fee of £15million for Ritchie, even though that’s what they value him at, this suggests that they are struggling to find a suitable replacement at a sensible price. The problem that Benitez will have is that the market has been hugely inflated in recent seasons, so if a 28-year-old Ritchie is worth £15million, a younger, better replacement will likely cost a lot more than what they’ll be able to recuperate from the sale. This puts the club in a difficult situation, do they refuse to sell a player who wants to leave and risk the repercussions? Or, do they sell the player for what he’s worth but then risk not being able to find a replacement? It’s a hard call for Benitez and Mike Ashley, but one they need to make quickly as this could have serious consequences for next season.
