OPINION
Newcastle United fans should be licking their lips over the prospect of Joelinton joining them from Hoffenheim this summer after it was claimed that the centre-forward could be worth a mouthwatering £80million in the near future.
According to Chronicle journalist Mark Douglas, the 22-year-old could undergo a medical with the Magpies on Thursday after a fee was agreed with Hoffenheim for the striker’s transfer.
German magazine Kicker claims that the fee Newcastle are paying for Joelinton is £36.2million.
Although that seems expensive for someone who scored 11 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions last season for Hoffenheim, it would seem as though Newcastle are confident of making the Brazilian worth more than double what they are paying for him after a few good seasons in the Premier League.
Top Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol claims that Mike Ashley sees huge future value in Joelinton and if the club is right about the ex-Sport Recife ace, then this is surely huge news for the fed-up fanbase.
“They need an out-and-out centre-forward, they think Joelinton is the man,” Solhekol said on Wednesday night, as shown on Sky Sports’ website.
“Of course, €40million is a lot of money for Newcastle to spend.
“But I was told that it’s a Mike Ashley kind of deal because he sees value in this deal.
“If this guy does well, scores a lot of goals, they think he’s a player who might be worth £80million in a few years’ time.”
Joelinton may not have scored many goals last season but he is certainly a young, up-and-coming striker who helps bring his team-mates into play and is able to step up his performances on the big occasions.
He assisted nine goals last season, meaning that he was involved in 20 goals across all competitions while Salomon Rondon, Newcastle’s player of the season, was involved in 19 goals in total.
Rondon is someone who has a lot of experience in the Premier League while the 2018/19 campaign was Joelinton’s first full season in the Bundesliga as he had spent the previous two years on loan at Austrian side Rapid Vienna.
Joelinton is a work in progress and as Solhekol says, if he does continue to improve in England, there’s no doubt that his value will skyrocket and eventually the Magpies will be able to make a profit on the Brazilian.
If the 22-year-old’s value does eventually double, that would mean this imminent deal with Hoffenheim will be a success.
A lot can happen in football that could see Joelinton’s spell at St James’ Park be one to remember, or one to forget.
However with the confidence behind the scenes that this transfer will be a success story, there have to be fans out there who are excited by the Brazilian’s arrival.
