Newcastle United can use two moving transfer situations to their advantage this summer. It has only been three-and-a-half weeks since Newcastle's stuttering 2025/26 campaign came to an end with defeat at Fulham, but it has already been a summer of many moving parts.
Early Summer Moves
The Magpies wasted little time in sanctioning Anthony Gordon's move to Barcelona and moved quickly to sign goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen from Stade Reims. Both moves have set the tone for a busy summer, both in terms of incomings and outgoings, in the transfer market, and this week has been no different.
Newcastle are making good progress on a move for Spain international winger Victor Munoz, while Tottenham have entered the race to sign Sandro Tonali from the Magpies. Tonali has been linked with Manchester City and Arsenal too, but Roberto De Zerbi is said to have made his Italian compatriot his top target this summer.
The Magpies are in a strong negotiating position, however, given Tonali still has three years with the option of a further year on his contract and the fact he has improved exponentially since his £55 million move from AC Milan three years ago. Nottingham Forest wanting north of £100 million for former Newcastle midfielder Elliot Anderson also strengthens Newcastle's case to extract the biggest possible fee from any suitors.
Meanwhile, Spurs agreeing to pay £52 million as well as a 20 per cent sell-on clause to sign Jan Paul Van Hecke from Brighton, despite the fact he only has one year left on his contract at the South Coast, will give Newcastle a precedent to follow in any negotiations with the north London outfit.
Tonali Replacement Options
Should Tonali go, Newcastle have already compiled a list of possible alternatives, and they could also use Odysseas Vlachodimos' situation to their advantage. Vlachodimos is surplus to requirements at Newcastle, and the Magpies want to sell him this summer given he still has two years left on his contract at St James' Park.
The Greek international goalkeeper impressed on a season-long loan spell with Sevilla last season, and the Andalusian side are keen to sign the 32-year-old on a permanent basis. But Sevilla are facing 'extreme accounting limitations,' meaning they wouldn't be able to afford the fee Newcastle will want to avoid a book loss on the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper.
As such, reports in Spain claim they are looking at creative solutions to bring Vlachodimos back to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on a permanent basis. One of those solutions would be to give Newcastle first refusal or a priority purchase option on the club's star players or the best youngsters coming out of their academy.
Lucien Agoume as a Solution
One such option that could provide the Magpies with a solution should they sell Tonali is French midfielder Lucien Agoume, who has attracted interest from Manchester United and Arsenal across the last year. Using DataMB's player similarity generator tool to bring up players with similar characteristics to Tonali, Agoume shows up as one of the top five options.
The 24-year-old is a former France under-21 international and joined Inter Milan as a teenager from Sochaux back in 2019. Agoume never broke into the side in Milan, and after loan spells with Spezia, Stade Brest, and Troyes, he joined Sevilla two years ago and has thrived in Spain.
Agoume made 36 appearances last season, and with his best years ahead of him, the Magpies could sign him for a cut-price fee in a deal that not only sees Vlachodimos leave but also solves a replacement for Tonali. The Magpies have already been heavily linked with a move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara this summer, but any move for Agoume could be a convenient solution to a number of transfer issues.
