Newcastle missed out on £60m summer target they considered ‘perfect’ after club made shock U-turn
If Newcastle United’s summer window wasn’t miserable enough already, it has now surfaced that the club missed out on a “perfect” signing.
After missing out on qualification to Europe last season, there was a hope that Newcastle would show big ambition in the summer to try and put the club in position to challenge at the top end again.
However, new sporting director Paul Mitchell failed to land any of the club’s top targets and he now finds his position under threat after causing tension behind the scenes at St James’ Park.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi was the top priority but Newcastle walked away from the deal late into the window after refusing to match their £70m asking price.
A new right-sided winger was also towards the top of the shopping list but a last-gasp £50m bid for Anthony Elanga was rejected by Nottingham Forest.
It has now been suggested that Newcastle came close to solving their winger issue earlier in the window but missed out on a target that the club considered “perfect”.
Newcastle United interest in Noni Madueke
It was no secret that Newcastle were interested in Chelsea’s Noni Madueke this summer and the Magpies were even considering a bid for the 22-year-old.
However, Chelsea valued Madueke at £60m – double the value of the £29m fee they spent on him in January 2023.
That was likely enough to make Mitchell and Newcastle turn elsewhere, and Fabrizio Romano has now shared details on Newcastle’s interest this summer.
Via CaughtOffside, Romano said: “There were a lot of stories about Noni Madueke’s future at Chelsea this summer, and it’s true that there was at one point a moment when the Blues considered selling Madueke.
“That was at the end of June, and it came during that period you may remember when there was some confusion with Financial Fair Play and we saw Newcastle and other clubs trying some swap deals around England to make the FFP rules work for them.
“So, at that point, Madueke was one of the main targets for Newcastle.
“Then what happened? After that, Chelsea saw how special Madueke was in training and in official games under Enzo Maresca. There is the feeling inside Chelsea that Maresca and his staff have been able to change the mindset of Madueke – it’s something they’ve been working on in training and you can see it already in official games.
“It’s important to note that there was not even a negotiation between clubs, from what I’m told. It was just strong interest as Newcastle appreciate Madueke, but no talks, no price communicated, not even a discussion with the player’s camp. He was just very high on the Magpies’ list.
“The possibility of going to Newcastle was there in June, and for Newcastle, Madueke was considered the perfect player.”
Newcastle missed out on Madueke after Chelsea U-turn
It seems Newcastle were set on pushing for Madueke as one of the club’s top targets, but Chelsea completely changed their stance on his availability.
Ultimately Newcastle were left emptyhanded over the summer and a new winger is still a priority but Madueke is no longer attainable.
READ MORE: Newcastle United officials now have a new priority behind the scenes after Marc Guehi saga
The English winger has scored four goals in five games this season, including a Premier League hat-trick in Chelsea’s 6-2 demolition of Wolves.
Chelsea’s £60m price tag was already eye-watering and that figure has likely only grown as a result of his strong start to the season. Newcastle will have to look elsewhere.
