According to Argentinian news outlet TyC Sports (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are attracting concrete interest in winger Miguel Almiron from River Plate.
The Magpies will be feeling positive going into the international break this week following their back-to-back victories in the Premier League.
Newcastle shook off their poor form to put on inspiring and confident performances against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, with the six points tallied up in their most recent fixtures seeing them climb the league table to eighth.
They return to action in just under two weeks for their clash with West Ham United at St James’ Park and Eddie Howe will be in hope that the break won’t affect their improved form.
Not only are we in reaching distance of the second half of the season, the January transfer window will open in a matter of weeks and there will be high expectations for the Newcastle recruitment team to deliver after a disappointing summer of business.
The Geordies have been linked with ambitious moves for Bryan Mbeumo and Jarrod Bowen ahead of the new year, in what is expected to be an attempt to bolster the right winger role with improved quality.
Having said that, it is also widely reported that financial restrictions will still apply to the club when the transfer market reopens and they will need to remain cautious of their obligations to comply with financial fair play.
One way they can overcome this issue is by selling assets in the squad to free up transfer funds for incomings, and new reports coming out of Argentina this week suggest that there may be a great opportunity to do so.
TyC Sports (via Sport Witness) are reporting that River Plate have concrete interest in signing Newcastle’s winger Miguel Almiron in January, and the player would be open to a move away from Tyneside to improve his chances of remaining in his international squad.
Sport Witness also relay a quote from journalist Renzo Pantich, who further confirms River Plate’s interest in acquiring Almiron’s services:
“River is probing, in a formal and concrete manner, the contractual conditions of Miguel Almirón. He’s a River fan, he has a tattoo on his back, and he is currently playing very few minutes in the Premier League.”
Should Newcastle sell Miguel Almiron?
There is no doubt that Almiron has become a popular player on Tyneside in recent years for his outstanding transformation in form since the arrival of Eddie Howe, but his dominance on the right wing has been short lived.
The Paraguay international – once dubbed “unique” by the Newcastle manager – had a great run in front of goal during the 2022/23 season, playing a crucial and impactful part in the dream qualification of Champions League football.
In more recent times, Almiron has found it difficult to reach the same heights and has since become much more of a fringe player, with Jacob Murphy and even Joelinton being preferred on the right flank this season.
As a result, it is clearly felt that the 30 year 0ld has become surplus to requirements and an opportunity to sell him at the right price would be welcomed if it meant they could either replace him with a younger and more consistent forward, or improve other areas of the pitch with the funds received.
Newcastle broke their transfer record when they signed Almiron back in 2019 for £20m, though despite his ability to keep himself strongly in contention to start for the club in recent years, it is unlikely that they will receive an offer close to that, considering his age and his lack of game time in recent months.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle will entertain offers for Almiron in January and at what price they would be willing to part ways with the winger halfway through the campaign.
