Wilson upgrade: Newcastle considers push for £21 million Euro wonder

Wilson upgrade: Newcastle considers push for £21 million Euro wonder
The summer transfer window officially opened earlier this month, and Newcastle United has already signed two players.

Lewis Hall has signed on a permanent basis from Chelsea following his initial loan term, while Lloyd Kelly has agreed to join on a free transfer from Bournemouth when his contract with the Cherries expires at the end of this month.

Eddie Howe and his colleagues now have around two months to do any additional business that they want to do to enhance the squad for the 2024-25 season.

Newcastle will not compete in any European events next season, so they may opt to keep a smaller squad to focus on the Premier League.

Regardless, the Magpies must choose to replace centre-forward Callum Wilson if they decide to cash in on him before the end of the summer transfer season.

The club has previously been connected with moves for Serhou Guirassy and Dominic Calvert-Lewin this month, but they are now apparently interested in one of the stars of the 2024 Euros.

Newcastle eyeing Euros sensation
According to Football Insider, the Magpies are considering signing FC Metz centre-forward Georges Mikautadze to strengthen their front line.

Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Napoli, Lyon, and Monaco are reportedly among the clubs interested in signing the Georgia international this summer.

Metz just recently recruited the striker on a permanent basis after he spent the second half of last season on loan from Dutch giants Ajax, but they are eager to cash in on him.

Football Insider reports that the Ligue 2 club is eager to trade the excellent marksman for roughly £21 million after being relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of last season.

Newcastle may need to act swiftly to avoid competition from other teams, as Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Monaco’s pursuit of the attacker.

According to the Italian journalist, the Ligue 1 club has negotiated personal terms with the young star and has submitted an offer in the hopes of reaching an agreement with his club, as they want to complete the transfer before the Euros this summer.

Howe and his team must now step in to finalize a deal before Monaco can sign him, as he may be an upgrade on Wilson for the Magpies ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Newcastle United are considering selling Callum Wilson due to budgetary constraints this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

According to the site, teams from England, Germany, and Saudi Arabia are all interested in a potential deal to recruit the England international.

It added that they hope to charge a ‘fair’ amount for his services, though it is unclear what that entails, and that Howe is willing to let him leave.

TEAMtalk claimed that the Magpies have already held preliminary conversations with teams, including several from the Saudi Pro League, but nothing has been agreed upon as of yet.

Moving him on this summer could be a wise move given his contract predicament and his questionable fitness record at St. James’ Park.

He just has one year left on his current contract on Tyneside, and this window could be their last chance to retrieve some money for him, rather than letting the striker walk for free next year.

As shown in the table above, Wilson has missed 18 or more matches in all competitions in three of his four seasons at Newcastle since joining from Bournemouth in 2020.

The 32-year-old striker was absent with hamstring, calf, and chest problems throughout the 2023/24 season, missing 28 games and limiting his effectiveness on the pitch for Howe.

Given Wilson’s age, chronic injury troubles, and contract status, now appears to be the ideal time for Newcastle to move him, with Mikautadze potentially replacing the former Cherries star next season.

Why should Newcastle sign Georges Mikautadze?

For starters, the 23-year-old marksman is now competing for Georgia in the European Championship in Germany, so he will arrive to St. James’ Park in good spirits.

In his three games in the tournament, the Euros star has scored three goals with 2.26 xG, generated two ‘big opportunities’ for his teammates, and averaged 1.7 critical passes per game.

His excellent start to the tournament is not a fluke for the Georgian ace, as he was also on fire in Ligue 1 for Metz this year, despite only playing six Eredivisie games for Ajax in the first half of the season.