That same success may well persuade Mingueza to consider his future closer to the end of the season, and the sheer number of clubs who could be in the market were he to become a free agent may persuade him to wait, as well. Free agents almost invariably command higher wages than usual with no transfer fee to offset the expense, and Mingueza has every reason to hold tight for now.
Still, Caught Offside claim that Celta could be fairly easily persuaded to let him leave this month in order to get a transfer fee of some form, and even suggest that a fee of around €8-10m (£7-8.5m) would be sufficient. For a Premier League club, that’s small beans.
It also helps that Newcastle should have the PSR headroom to make relatively minor January moves like that, even if they aren’t expected to be one of the biggest spenders in the country. That at least gives them the edge over Aston Villa, whose winter spending will be heavily restricted. They are unlikely to bid for him even if they may discuss pre-contract terms.
Either way, it’s too early to know how likely it is that Mingueza is happy to leave Celta this January, or how many of his various suitors will be in the bidding if he is available – but Newcastle have the need for more depth at wing-back, know that Trippier and Krafth likely won’t be at the club for much longer, and have the financial clout to get a deal done. It’s far from a certainty, but it’s hardly a reach to imagine this rumour proving to have some legs.
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