Newcastle United are currently in a contract dispute with Hoffenheim striker Joelinton, according to Sport1.
The German news outlet claim that the transfer is nearing completion with his contract the last bit of the deal to conclude before the £47.7million move is wrapped up.
Sport1 report that the Brazilian forward only wants three-years on his contract whereas the Magpies would prefer to tie the 22-year-old down to a four-year-deal.
Newcastle only currently have two strikers at the club in Dwight Gayle and Yoshinori Muto after selling their two top-scorers Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon.
Joelinton will arrive at the club after a good season in the Bundesliga, scoring seven goals and adding five assists in 28 appearances.
OPINION
Newcastle can not risk anything that could end their pursuit of Joelinton. A striker has to be the top of their wish list, with the departures of Perez and Rondon catastrophic after the duo scored over 50% of their goals last season. For the sake of one year, Ashley must not start picking problems in negotiations and just secure the Brazilian instantly. The one thing that Magpies fans can cling onto is that Sport1 has also reported that the signing should be completed on Thursday after making progress this week. The 22-year-old will be a great introduction at St James’ Park, bringing great power and pace up top. Joelinton averaged two shots per game last season, on top of an average of 1.5 key passes [WhoScored], proving he can both score and set up chances for his teammates – something that will only help players such as Miguel Almiron. A dispute in the contract could be a hitch in the deal, but both parties seem determined to secure the move, and that should kickstart Newcastle’s transfer business, less than a month before the start of the Premier League.
