Newcastle United were close to signing £33m player but pulled out

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Newcastle United were never expected to sign anyone during the January transfer window, but they did at least try.

Following a disappointing summer, it always felt likely that Newcastle United would invest midway through the season. However, it soon became apparent that was not the case.

Newcastle sold Miguel Almiron and lined up a future deal for Lloyd Kelly, as they enhanced their PSR position. However, those exits did not lead to an influx of reinforcements in January.

Instead, Newcastle have decided to wait until the summer.

Why Newcastle United did not bid for Abdukodir Khusanov

But they did look at potential signings in January. While incomings never felt likely, Paul Mitchell and co at least explored the possibility.

The player who came closest to joining Newcastle United appears to be Abdukodir Khusanov, who ended up signing for Manchester City in a £33million deal.

But Newcastle came close to getting Khusanov, after doing a lot of groundwork on the 20-year-old centre-back. Despite that groundwork, a formal offer never materialised.

According to the i Paper, Newcastle did not make a bid for Khusanov because of their PSR situation and the impact that a deal would have on their summer transfer plans.

Newcastle United to readdress centre-back search in the summer

Newcastle were disappointed to miss out on Khusanov, but decided to look at the bigger picture.

They are now in a stronger position to spend in the summer transfer window, at a time when Paul Mitchell should be able to find greater value.

After missing out on Khusanov and other targets such as Vitor Reis and Juma Bah, Newcastle will target a centre-back in the summer. They still need to secure Fabian Schar’s long-term replacement, which was the club’s ambition during the summer of 2024.

Marc Guehi was the top target then, and it will be interesting to see if the Magpies make a fresh move. He will be available, after Tottenham failed to sign Guehi on deadline day. The England international has remained at Selhurst Park, where his contract expires in 2026.

There will likely be other players on Newcastle’s radar, as Paul Mitchell finally prepares to flex his recruitment muscles.