There’s some advance on Ruben Semedo to Newcastle United in the Portuguese press on Monday. O Jogo reports that Rafael Benitez’s side are preparing a €15m offer for the Sporting defender.
Newcastle United have been much linked with Semedo in recent weeks, with the most concrete Portuguese claims saying the club had contacted Semedo’s entourage. That contact was to find out if the central defender is keen on the transfer, and it would seem they received a positive response.
A €15m offer isn’t quite the €20m Sporting are looking for, but O Jogo point out it easily beats what Lille want to pay for Semedo. The French club wanted to offer something in the region of €8m, which was an overly optimistic plan.
Now it would be expected that, over the coming weeks, Sporting try to get Newcastle closer to €20m, as Benitez’s side try to talk the value down. Semedo is said to be keen on a transfer to England, preferring that option over a move to France.
This is a doable transfer for Newcastle, and if the claims from Portugal are correct, there’s a good likelihood of Semedo playing at St James’ Park next season.