£15m Premier League star says Eddie Howe and Newcastle United tried to sign him

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Newcastle United had their sights set on signing a teenage striker in 2023 before he completed a move to Premier League rivals.

Heading into the January transfer window, Newcastle United continue to be linked with striker targets with Callum Wilson facing an uncertain future.

Newcastle put a £10m price tag on Wilson, who was expected to leave in January before he suffered an injury which could ruin transfer plans.

The 32-year-old has constantly struggled to stay fit, which has left summer signing William Osula as the only back up to Alexander Isak up front.

Plus, Isak continues to be linked with an exit in 2025, in which case Newcastle would certainly need to dip into the market for a new striker.

Newcastle United wanted to sign Youssef Chermiti in 2023

In August 2023, Everton completed a £15m deal to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Youssef Chermiti.

At the time, he was 19 years old and had only just broken into the Sporting side under now Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. Six months after his first-team debut in Portugal, he made a big-money move to Merseyside.

However, Chermiti has now revealed that he also held talks with other Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United.

Speaking to The Athletic, Chermiti said: “When we were talking with Everton, we got more calls from clubs in England. Wolverhampton (Wanderers), Newcastle (United). A lot of clubs.”

Newcastle splashed the cash on the likes of Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento in the summer of 2023 but ended the window without adding a striker to Eddie Howe’s squad.

How Youssef Chermiti has fared since joining Everton

Despite holding talks with Newcastle over a potential move, Chermiti ended up joining Everton in 2023.

He had a fairly quiet debut season with the Toffees having failed to score in 20 senior appearances. He was mostly used as an option off the bench by Sean Dyche with Chermiti only playing one full 90-minute match last season.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe delighted as ‘excellent’ Newcastle United star finally recovers from injury

Chermiti’s second season at Everton has not been any better. He is yet to make an appearance in 2024/24 after spending the first three months of the season out injured.

He was on the bench for Everton’s recent draws to Chelsea and Manchester City and will hope for minutes in their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.