Newcastle were claimed to be interested in bringing Everton, and former Toon youth player, Lewis Gibson back to the club, but a new report claims Dutch giants PSV and Ajax are leading the chase.
Website 90min said the Eredivisie pair are hoping to land the 19-year-old for a cut-price fee, with him yet to make a senior appearance for Everton.
Gibson is represented by SEG (Sports Entertainment Group) who are based in Amsterdam, and it is the connection between them and the Dutch clubs that have seen two of their top sides jump ahead of Newcastle.
It remains to be seen if Gibson, who according to the Daily Mail a couple of weeks ago was very interested in returning to Tyneside, would want to go to a continental side, ahead of his boyhood team.
He was reluctant to leave St James’ Park in the first place, with the mitigating factor in his departure being the situation regarding Peter Beardsley, who has since left the club.
Beardsley’s termination from Newcastle left the door wide open for a Gibson return, particularly with his current Everton deal due to expire in the summer.
Surely the lure of a Newcastle return will see off Dutch rivals
Regardless of the relationship between the player’s agent and Dutch football, it would still be a surprise if Gibson chose them over Newcastle.
Given the success of both Longstaffs at St James’ Park in the last year, he would likely see a return to his former club as the best opportunity for him to make a break into a senior squad for the first time.
It is currently all mere speculation, of course, but a deal by Steve Bruce to bring a highly-rated, local youngster, who surely has a big future ahead of him, back to the club he supports, would have too many positive connotations to turn down.
If he does not sign a new deal on Merseyside, I would expect Gibson to be back at Newcastle sooner rather than later.
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