Another Toney situation: Newcastle could sell ace with "Vinicius quality"

Newcastle United have invested heavily following the takeover by the Saudi PIF in late 2021, with the owners desperately needing to improve the squad to be competitive in the Premier League.

Before the acquisition, the Magpies were constantly battling relegation under Steve Bruce, with the club looking likely to return to the Championship under his leadership.

However, at the time, Bruce was given a tough task by former owner Mike Ashley, aiming to secure their top-flight status and doing so with next to no investment in his squad.

It’s no surprise to see the Magpies thriving following the £400m investment by the PIF, with the club looking in a much healthier state under Eddie Howe and the owner’s guidance.

The huge investment has come at a cost however, with the Magpies needing to raise funds during the summer transfer window to avoid being hit with a potential points deduction for breaking the Premier League’s FFP rules.

One player has constantly been linked with a big-money move away from St James’ Park during the off-season, with the club needing to keep hold of one of their stars who has a huge future ahead of him.

Newcastle star attracting huge interest

According to Luke Edwards from The Telegraph, Newcastle attacker Yankuba Minteh is attracting interest from fellow Premier League side Liverpool ahead of a potential move to Anfield this summer – with a fee of £40m having been mooted.

The 19-year-old has scored ten goals and provided five assists in his 27 appearances for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, with new Reds boss Arne Slot looking to be reunited with the Gambian after his successful loan stint under his guidance in 2023/24.

However, despite his stellar campaign in the Netherlands, Howe’s side are enduring FFP worries and may look to cash in on Minteh this summer just one year after his £7m move to Tyneside, despite never making an appearance for the club’s first team.

Given his hugely impressive numbers from his temporary stint away from St James’, the club will undoubtedly want to keep hold of the youngster, as they look to avoid a repeat of one deal that saw the club potentially miss out on a huge payday.

Why Minteh’s move could be another Ivan Toney situation

Back in 2018, Newcastle agreed to sell striker Ivan Toney to Peterborough United for a fee in the region of £350k, with the Magpies – who signed the marksman from Northampton Town as a teenager three years earlier – placing a 30% sell-on fee within the transfer.

He eventually joined Brentford in a deal rising to £10m with add-ons – a deal that looks to be a bargain given his form for the Bees in the Championship and Premier League.

Toney has since scored 36 Premier League goals for Thomas Frank’s side over the last three campaigns, resulting in a £100m valuation from the Bees just a couple of months ago.

Although they would receive a fee much bigger than they did for Toney, Minteh has demonstrated his excellent talent at a young age, with The Premier League Panel subsequently claiming he has the “Vinicius [Jr] quality” with constant intensity on and off the ball.

That is some praise indeed considering that Real Madrid’s Brazilian sensation only recently ended the 2023/24 campaign with 35 goals and assists to his name in all competitions from his wide berth, earning the tag of being the “best in the world” from manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Newcastle have desperately been lacking quality on the right-hand side of their attack, with Miguel Almiron failing to match his performance levels of last season which saw the Paraguayan bag 11 goals in 29 starts.

The Gambian’s ability to cut inside with the ball and find either a teammate or the back of the net is a quality that Howe’s side are crying out for, with the club needing to keep hold of their talented youngster despite the financial troubles.

The 19-year-old has the ability to be a starting player for the next decade at St James’, with the Magpies desperately needing to keep hold of Minteh and prioritise selling other first-team members to reduce the risk of any potential punishments.

The Tynesiders won’t want a repeat of their previous transfer fumble with Toney.