Newcastle miss out on £12m release clause for ‘outstanding’ player but could return in the summer

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Newcastle United have missed out on triggering the release clause of one of their January targets but a summer move is still on the table.

Newcastle had been monitoring the situation of Roma’s Paulo Dybala in recent weeks who was available for a cut-price deal, but his £12m release clause expired yesterday.

Now, a new report from Calcio Mercato suggests that his future is still up in the air and even more so now that head coach Jose Mourinho has been relieved of his duties today.

Newcastle have been watching Dybala show his class this season

It’s understood that both Newcastle and Chelsea remain keen on bringing the Argentinian to the Premier League despite missing out on the clause that would have been a bargain deal.

Dybala has enjoyed an ‘outstanding‘ first half of the season with Roma despite injuries holding him back. The attacker has registered 11 goal contributions in just 13 Serie A appearances in what has been a disappointing campaign for the Italians so far.

It would be a huge coup if Newcastle were able to pull it off, though the last thing Newcastle need is another forward who struggles with consistent injury problems.

Dybala’s talent cannot be denied but they would be taking a huge risk in spending a portion of the summer budget to replace an injury-plagued striker in Callum Wilson with another injury-plagued striker.

Newcastle want more clarity before making a move

Newcastle are being very cautious about how they spend their money in January and the summer having reached the limit they can spend under the league’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

This means they, along with Chelsea, are asking for clarity on the physical conditions of the 30-year-old who will be entering the twilight years of his career in the near future.

Newcastle are very keen on bringing in a new striker, whether that be now or in six months time, with Eddie Howe making it one of his priority positions.

Ideally they would be looking to bring in a third-choice option behind Wilson and Alexander Isak, but those are hard to come by so it’s not out of the question that someone of a similar profile as Dybala may replace Wilson.