Newcastle sign Everton talent and teenage midfielder with one more in talks to arrive for medicals
Newcastle United have signed Everton defender Aaron Epia, with youngster becoming the latest teenage talent to join our Academy.
This isn’t the first addition of the summer at youth level, as we exclusively revealed earlier this month that highly-rated Portsmouth midfielder CJ Afumuzor had completed his medical at the club after Newcastle fought off interest from Man Utd, Brighton and Aston Villa for the youngster.
Epia is a left-sided centre-back and Poland youth international, but is eligible to play for England and Nigeria. He is also represented by CAA Stellar; the same agency that look after the likes of Nick Pope and Elliot Anderson.
The Secret Scout report that he’s signed a contract on Tyneside and is likely to link up with our Under-18s after leaving Everton, but there could be a third signing at youth level with a deal for Blackburn’s Rory Finneran also in the pipeline.
Newcastle have held talks with Rovers over a fee and are in pole position to sign the 16-year-old midfielder, despite interest from unnamed sides in Germany.
The online source reported [24 June] that “the word from Goodison Park” that the Toffees’ PSR issue is smaller this summer means they are under less pressure to accept low-ball offers for the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana.
It is understood that the sales of Alex Iwobi, Demarai Gray and Tom Cannon have all helped balance the books, and without those deals, the club would have faced more pressure to cash in on a big player.
Branthwaite is the last player the Toffees will have wanted to lose ahead of the summer transfer market, and it looks like they might be set to keep him, with Manchester United unwilling to beyond for the signing.
The 21-year-old experienced a sensational season in the backline, partnering up with James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford to form the fourth-best defence in the Premier League.
Onana, on the other hand, could still be a player who leaves the club this summer, with the midfielder currently away with Belgium at Euro 2024, expressing his eagerness to impress on the international stage.
It is understood that Everton are not totally opposed to the 22-year-old leaving if the right offer comes in, which would most likely solve the club’s PSR woes ahead of the 2024/25 campaign [Alan Nixon].
The incoming of AS Roma’s Dan Friedkin will, of course, come as a huge boost as well, with the prospective new owner reportedly set to invest over half-a-billion pounds into the club, including the squad. [Corriere dello Sport]
With the Toffees under much less PSR pressure this summer, the summer transfer market is not totally out of their control when it comes to the sought-after stars at Goodison Park.
In other Everton news, Dan Friedkin could already be set to upset fans as the new owner with a decision on Sean Dyche.
