Throughout his entire Newcastle United career, there has been talk about Allan Saint-Maximin leaving the club.
Rumours of an exit struck fear into Toon fans during the Steve Bruce era, and talk of a transfer away has only intensified since Eddie Howe became the boss at St James’ Park.
It has always felt a lot like background noise from agents, with both the player and the club happy to continue working together.
However, this summer feels different. Rumours of Saint-Maximin leaving have continued, with speculation that he could even go to a club in Saudi Arabia. Wherever he may go, the noise surrounding an exit is louder than it has ever been.
Newcastle could now sell Allan Saint-Maximin
According to the Telegraph, Newcastle could decide to sell Saint-Maximin to fund their moves for Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento.
The report states that Saint-Maximin has been offered to several clubs, while Howe is looking to deduce how committed the Frenchman is to the Magpies.
The Telegraph add that a decision over his future will be made in the coming days.
It feels like ASM’s Toon career is coming to an end
He has always been a fan favourite at St James’ Park, but it feels like the end is nigh. We might be lucky if we ever see ASM play for the club again, especially in a competitive game.
With Newcastle still wary of FFP, it is vital that players are sold to raise funds. Sadly for Maxi, he is the club’s most saleable asset. He is a top class player who is worth a lot of money, but is someone who is no longer a key player at St James’ Park.
It will be a great shame if he is sold, but the £40million that he could bring in will allow Howe to strengthen the squad in multiple positions. Barnes is probably more suited to Howe’s style and is a more consistent goal threat, while Livramento would be a much stronger backup to Kieran Trippier than what we currently have.
It might simply be a case of one step back, two steps forward.
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