Newcastle United could secure an unexpected £6million payday for Everton youngster Lewis Gibson, according to The Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that the Magpies could earn a fee of up to the aforementioned amount for the 18-year-old, who swapped St James’ Park for Goodison Park two years ago.
The defender is one of the brightest prospects to have come through Newcastle’s academy in recent years, but the club’s failure to offer him a satisfactory professional deal saw him make the move to Merseyside.
Gibson’s representatives terminated his deal with Rafael Benitez’s side and he is now thriving for the Toffees. However, there could still be a silver lining for the Magpies here.
OPINION
It’s a shame how things worked out with Gibson, because he is clearly a big talent. He made a real impression coming through the Newcastle academy and you’re scratching your heads as to how the club allowed him out the door. However, he’s joined a thriving youth set-up and is doing really well with Everton. Credit to him for that, and the Magpies’ loss is vey much the Toffees’ gain. Still, as mentioned, this could still work out alright for Benitez’s side. If they end up getting £6million for the player, that’s not bad really. Obviously that will likely depend on what he goes on to do with Marco Silva’s team, but it’s expected that he will end up making the step up to the first team at some point. If he does that then it’s likely that Newcastle will end up getting something close to £6million, at least. That’s not bad compensation for a youngster who never played a senior game for the club, is it?
