‘Put off’: Newcastle think 22-year-old star is too expensive – journalist

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Newcastle United are going to have to pay a huge fee to sign Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, which the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards does not believe is going to happen.

Szoboszlai has emerged as a major target for Newcastle in recent weeks, and it was even claimed that he was the club’s top summer target.

That story has been disputed by the Daily Mail, but Toon scouts did travel to Germany to watch the 22-year-old play on Sunday.

It was a worthwhile trip, with Szoboszlai scoring a stoppage time winner for RB Leipzig to strengthen their Champions League qualification bid. It could be a huge goal, as the Hungarian midfielder has admitted that he wants to play in that competition again next season, refusing to commit his future to the Bundesliga club.

Champions League football is potentially something that Newcastle could offer the playmaker, with Eddie Howe’s side needing two wins from their remaining three games to finish in the top four – despite Liverpool applying even more pressure on Monday night.

The Toon owners will likely make some major signings if they qualify for the UCL, and Szoboszlai would fall into that category. However, Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards has hinted that a move is not on the cards at the moment.

Edwards thinks Newcastle have been ‘put off’ signing Szoboszlai

The journalist has responded to talk of Szoboszlai signing for Newcastle on Twitter, and explained why the Magpies have cooled their interest.

He wrote: “#nufc have been watching Dominic Szoboszlai at RB Leipzig but have been put off by an asking price between £70-80m. They will not pay that much. It’s also worth stressing that no transfer targets have been decided on yet. We have moved from long lists to short lists and that’s it.”

Newcastle won’t pay over the odds

Edwards claims that Leizpig want between £70million and £80million for Szoboszlai, which goes against his reported release clause – which is less than that amount. His contract reportedly has a clause that allows him to leave the German side for £61million.

Regardless of the price, Edwards’ suggestion makes it clear that Newcastle will once again not pay over the odds when the transfer window opens. It is something they haven’t really done since the change of ownership – while the expensive looking deals have made sense.

There was a fear that Alexander Isak cost too much, while £25million for Chris Wood was a lot. But the Swede looks worth every penny, while we are set to recoup most of the Wood money when he permanently signs for Nottingham Forest.

And as Edwards states, no transfer targets have been set in stone. That will not happen until we know if we are a Champions League club or a Europa League club, as that will massively influence the budget.

But the Magpies appear to be testing the waters and lining up potential options, one of which looks to be Szoboszlai. However, he might prove to be too expensive.