Eddie Howe was right when he said it will be very costly for Newcastle United to replace Callum Wilson.
The Magpies are weighing up who to bring in this summer, with Newcastle even more keen to sign a striker following news of Callum Wilson’s injury.
The 32-year-old is a doubt for the first Premier League game of the season against Southampton due to a back problem, which has only enhanced the argument that Paul Mitchell should sell Wilson as he enters the final year of his contract.
But he will need to be replaced, and that will be difficult. Earlier this year, Eddie Howe warned Newcastle that it would be very expensive.
That proved to be the case when Newcastle tried to bring in Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton. That deal collapsed due to his £40million asking price, and Newcastle were stunned that Everton would not lower Calvert-Lewin’s asking price.
Now the Magpies are looking elsewhere, but could encounter the same issue.
Newcastle have been linked with Jonathan David
Jonathan David emerged as an alternative for Newcastle, after years of being linked with a move to Tyneside.
The Canadian forward looks likely to be on the move this summer, with Lille already admitting that they are willing to sell David.
The 24-year-old, who has been described as ‘unbelievably fast‘, would be an outstanding replacement for Wilson, and now Toon officials know how much he will cost.
Newcastle discover David price as West Ham pull out
According to the Sun, West Ham United have pulled out of the race to sign David from Lille.
They report that the Hammers were willing to meet Lille’s £30million asking price, but have refused to pay the £10million in agent fees that has been demanded by David’s representatives.
If West Ham had said ‘yes’, they would be paying £40million for David, with a quarter of that sum going to his agent.
While £30million is a decent fee for a man who has been prolific in Ligue 1, paying another £10million in agent fees is outrageous. It could be what prices David out of a move.
Newcastle may have to shelve striker search for now
West Ham have pulled out due to the overall fee, and you have to imagine that Newcastle would have done the same.
Toon officials are being faced with the impossible task, as they search for a striker to potentially replace Wilson. They need someone who can be just as impactful in front of goal, and anyone as good as Wilson is not going to be cheap.
But Newcastle also have other transfer priorities, as they aim to stretch their budget as far as possible. It might be that Newcastle need to put their striker search on hold until they make a couple of other signings. Then they will at least know how much money they can spend on providing Alexander Isak with the competition he needs.
David has been an exciting yet ambitious target, but the overall price of a deal could put him out of Newcastle’s reach, just like it has with West Ham.
