With Newcastle United’s ongoing financial issues during the summer, a big money signing was hard to come by for the Magpies.
Even after the Saudi PIF took over the club in 2021, the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability, as well as Financial Fair Play rules are difficult to manage for clubs who must ensure they stay within budget.
In the summer, Newcastle made no signing of real significance, to the annoyance of manager Eddie Howe who seemingly looked like he was on his way out after a rocky relationship at first with new sporting director Paul Mitchell.
However, A Bola have reported that Newcastle were ready to splash the cash in the summer in order to bolster their squad, with Benfica defender Antonio Silva one that had admirers at the club.
The report also claims the club had made a €35m offer for the centre-back, including a further €15m on top in bonuses though the bid was rejected by the Portuguese club, with Benfica rating the 21-year-old very highly.
The Benfica youth system graduate is also an option for Juventus in the January window, with the Italian club looking to fill the void of Gleison Bremer who is likely to miss the entire season with a ruptured anterior crucial ligament.
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However, Benfica are said to be unwilling to do a deal in the winter window, and are in quite a secure position with Silva having a €100m release clause, with his current contract running until June 2027.
Previously, Silva had also been touted as an option for the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, though Benfica were unwilling to drop their asking price.
The Portuguese giants are known to demand incredible fees for their players, and in recent years, have seen bigger clubs across Europe pay an extortion for the likes of Darwin Nunez, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Neves.
Newcastle sit in eighth place in the Premier League, but have conceded 11 goals in 11 games; a number that won’t please Howe, and the need for an additional centre-back certainly makes sense.
Howe had previously been linked with the England job, but remains happy at St James’ Park while that boat has sailed for the time being with Thomas Tuchel set to take charge of the national team until the 2026 World Cup.
Howe has brought a belief back to Tyneside, saving Newcastle from relegation, before taking the Toon to the Champions League. Had it not been for Manchester United’s dramatic FA Cup win last season, Newcastle would have been playing in Europe again.
