Newcastle United were one of several clubs interested in Japan international, Daichi Kamada who is set to leave Eintracht Frankfurt when his contract expires and the forward opted to move to Borussia Dortmund according to Fabrizio Romano.
Newcastle miss out on Kamada after he agrees move to Dortmund
Transfer specialist, Romano tweeted the update which suggested that Borussia Dortmund and Daichi Kamada have come to a verbal agreement and the player will join up with the German giants in the summer.
Romano claims that a five-year deal could be signed soon after Kamada turned down three more clubs, one of which is believed to be Newcastle.
Kamada has had a brilliant season for Frankfurt with 13 goals and five assists in his 30 appearances. It’s no wonder so many clubs were vying for his signature, but it seems the 26-year-old will stay in Germany.
This will be a blow to Newcastle who are trying to shop smart in the transfer market, looking for quality players at the lowest possible price to avoid complications with Financial Fair Play, so a free signing with the quality that Kamada has would have ticked so many boxes for Eddie Howe.
So what now?
With Newcastle losing out on Kamada, the question is who do they turn to next? Getting someone of that quality on a free is like catching lightning in a bottle, so looking at the free market might not be an option for the Magpies. They retain an interest in the likes of James Maddison of Leicester and Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher of Chelsea, but it’s believed that each of those player will command a large transfer fee, especially given English clubs’ reluctance to deal with Newcastle at the moment.
For me, James Maddison is the best option of the three. He’s the most in form and there seems to be a genuine interest from both sides whereas Mount and Gallagher are unlikely to leave Chelsea if they get their way, even with Mount stalling on signing a new deal.