Newcastle United are closing in on Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez after the player was given the green light to leave the Etihad Stadium. The decision is now in the hands of the former FC Porto star, with a £50m deal set up and 20% of the transfer profit heading to the Portuguese club if the move goes through.
PIF backs further signings
The move has been given the green light by owners PIF, and Chronicle Live understands that there will still be money to add more names to the squad, but a couple of exits are highly likely. Goalkeeper Nick Pope and potentially Joe Willock are still heading for the departure lounge, with Besiktas still keen on the midfielder.
The arrival of Gonzalez would be a major boost for Newcastle with a week left of the window, but there are other concerns in the squad. A left-back to cover for Lewis Hall is needed, plus the potential of another forward coming in.
Jaissle's squad concerns
Newcastle got through the game despite William Osula picking up an injury, with the lack of options a clear concern in attack for head coach Matthias Jaissle - although he did resist the temptation to use £69m striker Nick Woltemade against Liverpool.
Jaissle told reporters: "I have thought about it. We will see what happens. There are seven days left [of the transfer window] approximately."
A lack of experience is clearly something that has been discussed behind the scenes, and there's no doubt Jaissle was frustrated at how his team saw the game out against the Reds.
He also said in his press conference: "We are a young squad, and they really left their hearts on the pitch and this is something we can build on.
"I'm proud, we are proud to see a unit on the pitch. The guys were trying to do it in the intense way that we want to play; to be front-footed and vertical in our approach.
"After such a short amount of time, I'm really happy. That is our philosophy. It depends on the opponent, but we have a clear idea of how we want to play and today we saw quite a lot of that."
Critical week ahead
The week ahead now becomes the most critical point of the summer for Jaissle and sporting director Ross Wilson with those three signings required.
After the final whistle against Liverpool, as Jaissle and his players made their way around the field, both Wilson and CEO David Hopkinson remained standing next to their seats to take a moment of reflection after the loss of two vital Premier League points.
The end of trading will be a relief for Newcastle chiefs, but only if they get their business done efficiently this week. In what has been a hectic summer, the Newcastle board are happy with the fees picked up for Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, with Man City's £65m fee for Rodri underlining that the Magpies earned a good price at £75m for the Brazil international.
Newcastle also made Spurs pay £10m more than they wanted for Tonali at £100m, with all proceeds pumped back into the kitty for purchases.
