Newcastle United have been told not to bother making any attempts to sign Patrik Schick from Bayern Leverkusen this summer.
Schick has been in excellent form for the German side this season, with 22 goals in 25 games in the Bundesliga so far.
That’s led to inevitable talk about his future, particularly as the striker has enjoyed this campaign on the back of a strong showing at the Euros.
Newcastle were brought into the mix back in December, with his agent talking up a transfer and how it was only a club with resources like the Magpies that could get a deal over the line.
That’s because no foreigner has ever scored more goals in one season in the Bundesliga, something which hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Leverkusen, though, aren’t interested in losing their star man, a sentiment made clear by sports director Simon Rolfes.
“No one needs to contact us because of Patrik,” the newspaper report him saying.
“It is normal for a top striker in his class to arouse desire. But: He will also play for us next season, that’s very clear!
“We want to make our already good team even better. And Patrik is a key player in our plans for the future.”
Those comments say BILD are a ‘rebuff’ for the interested parties like Newcastle, whose interest is ‘understandable’ but seemingly not likely to go anywhere because Leverkusen aren’t interested in a sale, and there’s no release clause in the striker’s contract, which runs until 2025.
In other words, it would take a huge amount of money for them to change their mind, and even then, they might not do so.
Newcastle do have the funds to change minds, of course, but they might be better served focusing their efforts elsewhere this summer.
