29-year-old Newcastle player is on the verge of leaving St. James’ Park

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Newcastle United are set to make their first sale of the January transfer window as one player looks set to team up with his former coach.

Newcastle are struggling to bring new players in this month because of a lack of funds, so they are hoping to move on some of the fringe players in the squad to free up some extra money.

A new report from The Athletic has now claimed that Javier Manquillo is on the verge of completing a transfer to Celta Vigo which would see him reunited with former Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez.

Newcastle free up space in January budget

It’s likely that the fee for the defender will not be particularly high, if anything at all, but it will free up some space in the wage budget and help Newcastle navigate their way through the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

It’s certainly a step in the right direction as Eddie Howe tries to get rid of those who were here pre-takeover but are no longer good enough to feature in the first team.

Manquillo has not made a single appearance this season so he will not a big miss in terms of Newcastle’s performances and what they will hope to achieve in the next six months.

It’s also a position which Newcastle are fairly well stacked on with Kieran Trippier, Tino Livramento and Emil Krafth all ahead of him as right-back options.

Newcastle now need to focus on buying new players

Selling unwanted players is certainly good for the club in the long term, but the squad really could use at least one or two additions in January with all the injuries they are dealing with.

Newcastle need to have a strong push in the Premier League in the second half of the season to be able to compete for any kind of European qualification, and they can’t do that as well with no new signings.

Selling Manquillo is good news and will hopefully provide benefits in the future, though it’s not the news that will really excite supporters right now.

The Spaniard has been a good servant for the club in difficult times and it’s best for both parties that he now returns to his home nation where he is far more likely to get regular playing time.