Newcastle United ‘will be open to offers’ for Jamaal Lascelles despite extending his contract a matter of months ahead of the summer transfer window, and journalist Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT that Ryan Fraser could also seal a permanent exit from St James’ Park after spending the season on loan with Southampton.
Magpies chief executive Darren Eales has conceded that outgoings will need to be sanctioned due to being in danger of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, resulting in head coach Eddie Howe’s squad potentially getting a makeover ahead of the 2024/25 campaign getting underway.
The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, who completed a takeover of Newcastle thanks to reaching a £305million agreement with then-owner Mike Ashley in October 2021, are overseeing plans after failing to challenge for Champions League qualification during an underwhelming season.
Howe is hopeful of retaining Lascelles’ services heading into next season after choosing to trigger a 12-month extension written into the central defender’s contract earlier this month, according to the Northern Echo, but Newcastle are aware that suitors could test their resolve when the transfer window reopens.
The report suggests that the Magpies captain, who has made 25 appearances in all competitions this term, has remained influential on and off the pitch despite Besiktas attempting to turn his head and lure him away from St James’ Park during the early stages of 2024.
It is understood that the Turkish giants pinpointed Lascelles as a target after noticing him fall behind Sven Botman and Fabian Schar in the pecking order at the heart of Newcastle’s backline, but they were unable to get a deal over the line despite having the opportunity to tie him down to a pre-contract agreement prior to his one-year extension.
Although transfer expert Fabrizio Romano previously told GIVEMESPORT that Newcastle were open to cashing in on Lascelles during the final days of the winter window, proposals failed to meet their expectations ahead of the deadline and he ended up remaining on Tyneside for the remainder of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Fraser has admitted that he wants to extend his stay at Southampton after joining the Championship promotion-chasers on an initial season-long loan in August, with him pushing to rubber-stamp the switch to the south coast due to being desperate for regular game time having fallen out of favour on Tyneside.
The 29-year-old Scotland international, who is on a contract worth in the region of £70,000-per-week, has played a vital role in Russell Martin’s Saints being in the hunt to secure a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking after going through the setback of suffering relegation last term.
