Newcastle transfer news: Toon struggling to complete Matheus Franca deal

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Newcastle United are trying to sign Matheus Franca from Flamengo, but may have to wait until the summer to do a deal with the Brazilian side.

That is according to the Chronicle, who state that a January move to St James’ Park is now looking increasingly unlikely. They state that Eddie Howe’s side are expected to fall short in their bid to sign the 18-year-old attacking midfielder.

Newcastle did offer £14million for the teenager, but that bid fell short of Flamengo’s asking price. It has been claimed that they want at least £17.6million for Franca, while the Chronicle state that they want the bidding to start at £20million.

They add that he is happy to stay at his current club, and that Flamengo are under no pressure to sell.

That will make it difficult for Newcastle to agree a deal, and another issue lies in a clause that the Brazilian side want to include.

Flamengo want huge sell-on clause included in deal to take Matheus Franca to Newcastle

The Chronicle state that, as well as the £20million fee, Flamengo want the deal to include a sell-on clause if Franca ever leaves Newcastle – or any other club that is trying to sign the youngster.

They state that Flamengo want to receive between 40% and 50% of any future transfer fee, which is an incredibly high amount.

In an ideal world, Franca would be so good in a Newcastle shirt that the Magpies would never have to sell him. However, you never know what can happen in football.

Hypothetically, if Newcastle agreed to a 50% clause and ended up selling Franca for £100million, they would have to send £50million to Flamengo. That is where the problem lies, and it speaks volumes to how highly he is rated. Flamengo believe they can earn a lot of money from him.

Dan Ashworth is trying to bring him to St James’ Park, but may have to revisit this deal in the summer. 90min believe that Franca is keen to join Newcastle, but seemingly isn’t pushing for a move – unlike our other major transfer target Anthony Gordon.