Further talks are set to take place between Newcastle United and Southampton over the signing of defender Tino Livramento, according to a report.
A bid of around £20m was rejected for the 20-year-old, with the Saints wanting £40m for the full-back, and Newcastle are set to try and negotiate this price down.
A report from The Northern Echo has revealed that further talks will take place, and that Southampton are already eyeing up Livramento’s replacement in Max Aarons.
There is a significant sell-on clause in Livramento’s contract which means that Chelsea will gain a substantial amount of any transfer fee, hence Southampton’s desire to maximise his price tag.
Allan Saint-Maximin’s move to Al-Ahli has eased Newcastle’s financial fair play fears, and they will continue to negotiate a deal for Livramento, with Eddie Howe keen on the defender.
Should Newcastle sign Livramento?
The fullback has been injured for a long time, making just two appearances last season as he recovered from a cruciate ligament injury, and it remains to be seen whether he can return to his previous level.
He may be seen as the long-term success to Kieran Trippier at right-back and can play on both flanks, and has been described as “fantastic by former teammate Theo Walcott. However, if Newcastle cannot negotiate his price tag down to a lower fee, there is a case to be made that they should explore a different option.
One alternative could be Real Valladolid defender Ivan Fresneda, who could cost potentially half of what Livramento might, and there are a lot of risks that will come with a big-money move for the Southampton defender.
The Englishman has made just 34 appearances for Southampton because of his injury struggles, and given that he is unlikely to start ahead of Trippier for at least one season, a huge transfer outlay on him is not necessary in this window, and Newcastle should perhaps walk away if they cannot agree to a lower deal with the Saints.
