Newcastle United are interested in signing Ivan Perisic and have a lucrative contract ready for the Inter Milan star, so who else have the Magpies recently signed when aged over 32?
Elder players arriving at St James’ Park was a rare occurrence during Mike Ashely’s tenure as owner. But Eddie Howe has already welcomed some aging stars to Tyneside since taking over from Steve Bruce in November, after the £305m Saudi-backed takeover last October.
Toon chiefs let Howe trigger a £25m release clause to sign Chris Wood at 30 from Burnley. He also paid Atletico Madrid an initial £12m for a 31-year-old Kieran Trippier, who quickly became an instrumental presence and even captained the club prior to suffering an injury.
Newcastle interested in Ivan Perisic as lucrative contract for Inter Milan ace readied
But Howe could yet go one further at the end of the season, as the boss seeks to continue his rebuild on Tyneside. That’s because Calciomercato now claim Newcastle are interested in signing Perisic ahead of the 33-year-old’s contract with Inter Milan expiring on June 30.
Perisic continues to boast a key role at the San Siro, and is arguably performing at his best for the Serie A side yet. Even though he moved to Italy from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for £14.5m in 2015. Inter chiefs have also noted his improved attitude and physical condition.
The Nerazzurri are delighted with his flawless approach, yet their offers of new terms have been worth less than his current deal. Inter improved their initial proposal of €4m-a-year (£65.5k-a/w) to €4.5m (£74k-a/w) after his exciting performances under Simone Inzaghi.
Perisic is considering Inter Milan’s offer in the knowledge of a lucrative contract available in England with Newcastle interested. The Toon are prepared to pay the winger €6.5m-a-year (£106k-a/w) net. An offer that has the 113-cap international considering his future.
He would be among the oldest players at St James’ with a move to Tyneside this summer. Only Martin Dubravka may eclipse Perisic by 18 days, while Federico Fernandez is 19 days his younger. So, who were the last five players Newcastle signed when they were over 32?
Daryl Murphy last veteran Newcastle deal amid interest in Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic
Daryl Murphy was the last veteran addition Newcastle made when the striker joined from Ipswich Town in August 2016. Rafa Benitez agreed a £3m swoop for the Republic of Ireland international, which rose to £4m upon promotion back into the Premier League that term.
The forward penned a two-year contract at St James’, but only saw out the first before he joined Nottingham Forest. United chiefs cut the club’s losses on the attacker and sold him for £2m, having only featured during 15 second-tier fixtures on route to the 2016/17 title.
Murphy was 33 at the time of Newcastle signing the striker, who scored five league goals in black-and-white. He also only started seven games, having been unavailable until the start of 2017 after a serious calf injury. But the form of Dwight Gayle limited his chances.
Shefki Kuqi arrives on Tyneside after Magpies sanction Andy Carroll exit
Newcastle moved to sign Shefki Kuqi for free in February 2011 to provide support for Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger after sanctioning Andy Carroll’s £35m transfer to Liverpool. The 34-year-old was unattached after Swansea City had terminated his contract.
Alan Pardew considered Kuqi to be a good fit as he could arrive match-ready and had been playing in England for 10 years. Yet his Magpies career only lasted six months and included six appearances and no goals. His Toon outings were additionally worth a total 20 minutes.
Kuqi had played at Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Derby County before Swansea and Newcastle. He would leave for Oldham Athletic the year of his arrival on Tyneside for one season, then a year with Hibernian before retiring.
Chris Hughton sealed Sol Campbell deal Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic can repeat
Chris Hughton had convinced Newcastle to sign a 35-year-old Sol Campbell seven months prior to Kuqi’s arrival at St James’. The centre-half had left Arsenal for the second time in his career as a free agent on June 30, 2010, having only returned on a short-term contract.
Campbell had a clutch of clubs interested in his services but picked the Magpies as the club offered him £35k-a-week. Celtic and Sunderland were among the sides to explore a move, but Newcastle also offered a reunion with Hughton after working with him at Tottenham.
Tyneside would prove to be the final place of the centre-half’s career after retiring at the end of the 2010/11 term. Campbell also only featured eight times across all competitions, with seven in the Premier League for five starts. He played just three times under Pardew.
Kevin Keegan added Lamine Diatta to aid Newcastle’s relegation fight
Kevin Keegan added a 32-year-old Lamine Diatta to his Newcastle squad in March 2008 in a free transfer from Besiktas. The centre-half arrived at St James on the recommendation of scouts Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez. But he only lasted four months for two games.
Diatta featured as a late substitute against Reading and West Ham for a combined nine minutes of Premier League football. Keegan was able to stave off the threat of relegation, though, having signed Diatta with the club just three points above the bottom three spots.
United ended the 2007/08 season in 12th with an eight-point margin to safety as Reading, Birmingham and Derby went down. Diatta went on to join Hamilton Academical following a year out of the game upon the Toon releasing him after a short stay at St James’ Park.
Antoine Sibierski sealed St James’ switch from Manchester City at 32
Antoine Sibierski sealed a switch to St James’ Park from Manchester City in August 2006 at 32-years-old. He had spent the previous three seasons with the Citizens, and would enjoy just one with the Magpies before joining Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2007 for free.
The former France U21 international had enjoyed one of the best periods of his career at City for 107 appearances. He also featured 107 times for RC Lens previous to him moving to England, and turned out regularly for Newcastle despite spending one year at the club.
Sibierski made 39 appearances across all competitions with the Toon for eight goals and four assists. But only 26 games, three goals and an assist came in the Premier League for 14 starts. He also struck four and created three over nine UEFA Cup ties, starting in eight.
Inter Milan star Perisic, then, would join an exclusive group by joining Newcastle in a free transfer this year aged 33, given how rare deals for veterans have been in recent seasons.