Newcastle United are now ready to pay Sevilla’s release clause for defender Jules Kounde according to Mundo Deportivo. The Magpies bid £59 million (Mundo Deportivo) in January for the defender and it seems they’re looking to sign him again this summer for an even more expensive price.
About three weeks ago it was reported the Toon wanted to sign him, and they could be taking that next step if today’s reports are to be believed.
The 23-year-old is currently injured and underwent surgery on Tuesday, according to The Sun. Chelsea are also interested in signing the defender.
But despite the injury he picked up, Newcastle are looking to pay Kounde’s asking price. Sevilla want to offload some assets to generate some cash this summer. Kounde’s release clause is around £70 million (Mundo Deportivo), so it will cost the Magpies a lot, even if they are much wealthier now.
If Newcastle are to pay Kounde’s price, it would be a disastrous move
To simply put it, Kounde’s release clause shouldn’t be met by Newcastle. There’s no doubt he’s a player with a lot of talent and potential.
But, it’s not worth risking Financial Fair Play issues for one player. There are other targets that the Toon can pursue at a lower price.
Secondly, we don’t know how serious Kounde’s injury is yet. It could rule him out for some time, so Newcastle should be very cautious.
The Magpies should continue to pursue Sven Botman instead. Lille has set their price at £36 million for the Dutchman. It would be a lot less than Kounde and would still bolster their defensive options.
Dan Burn has been excellent since he joined in January. However, the Toon need more options in their defence. Spending potentially all their budget on Kounde wouldn’t make much sense. They also need to strengthen in other positions too.
They could still afford to do so if they signed Botman, even if it’s more than they expected to get him for.
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