Atlanta United president Darren Eales has rubbished claims that the MLS club are set to loan out Miguel Almiron to Newcastle.
Paraguayan-American journalist Roberto Rojas reported on Twitter on Wednesday that a deal for Almiron was all but done between the clubs, with a loan-to-buy agreement in place for £15million.
Eales has now dismissed those claims in a blow for Newcastle, making it clear that the MLS club are not set to loan out any of their best players and also claiming that the fee would be much higher than the reported price tag.
As quoted by Sky Sports, Eales said: “I have seen some laughable things in the press, clearly we are never going to loan one of our players out and we are certainly not going to let them go for the ‘chump change’ that I have seen in some reports.
“If it’s a proper, serious offer then it’s something we would consider, but not for the laughable figures that I have seen mentioned in the press.”
OPINION
It is hardly a surprise to see Wednesday’s reports immediately shot down by Atlanta. When Rojas’ claims were first published there was excitement among Newcastle fans, who are keen to see Almiron sign, but questions begun to be asked about the terms of the reported deal. Almiron is one of Atlanta’s best players, and is worth a lot of money in today’s market. The likelihood of a loan-to-buy deal for £15million as reported was seemingly low, and that has now been proved correct by Eales’ comments. It looks like a Newcastle agreement is nowhere near as close as suggested previously, and the Magpies obviously have a lot of work to do to snap up their man. Previously touted figures approached the £25million mark, and that seems far more realistic considering Almiron’s season in which he has scored 13 goals and provided 13 assists. That means that Newcastle are likely to have to break their club record to sign him, and they will most certainly not be sealing a loan for him.
