Newcastle United are running out of time and, quite simply, morale in pursuit of midfield reinforcements. Every corner they turn seems to end in a dead end this summer, whilst the exit door at St James’ Park continues to swing open for Mattias Jaissle’s most important stars.
The latest in a long line of rejections has come from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Marseille man had a late change of heart to deal the Magpies another unexpected blow.
|
Players who have rejected Newcastle in the last 12 months |
Position |
Chose / joined |
When |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Benjamin Šeško |
Striker |
Manchester United |
Aug 2025 |
|
Bryan Mbeumo |
Winger |
Manchester United |
June 2025 |
|
James Trafford |
Goalkeeper |
Manchester City/Leeds United |
July 2025/26 |
|
João Pedro |
Forward |
Chelsea |
June 2025 |
|
Hugo Ekitiké |
Striker |
Liverpool |
July 2025 |
|
Johan Manzambi |
Midfielder |
Aston Villa |
July 2026 |
|
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg |
Midfielder |
Stayed at Marseille |
Aug 2026 |
Since then, Football FanCast understands that talks have accelerated over a move to sign Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. This time, however, it’s Aston Villa who are well-placed to get one over on the Tyneside club.
That leaves Newcastle scrambling for options and Inter Milan left playing the heroes of the hour, having just presented Davide Frattesi as a viable option.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to the Premier League for the last 12 months and could finally be on the move. Whilst Nottingham Forest have threatened to steal the headlines in that time, Frattesi could actually be the man to solve Newcastle’s biggest problem.
The 26-year-old is still at the peak of his powers and would bring experience into an increasingly young dressing room, having won the Scudetto twice in the last three seasons at Inter.
There will be question marks over Newcastle’s ability to get such a deal over the line, but they’ve just been handed a major boost ahead of potentially doing so.
Newcastle offered chance to sign Davide Frattesi
As reported by TeamTalk, Newcastle have now been offered the chance to sign Frattesi from Inter. The Magpies initially enquired about the availability of young midfielder Aleksander Stankovic and it’s in those same talks that they were presented with the idea of signing his teammate.
The Italian has been told he can leave the club this summer and is open to a Premier League move after previous interest from Nottingham Forest. That comes as a major boost for Newcastle, with the chances of rejection rapidly decreasing.
Inter are ready to sell, the player has been told to leave and wants a move to English football. That’s a trio of positive signs that Newcastle could take full advantage of.
|
League stats per 90 25/26 |
Davide Frattesi |
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
533 |
2,715 |
|
Tackles |
2.44 |
1.26 |
|
Pass success |
77.7% |
89.8% |
|
Recoveries |
2.6 |
5.27 |
|
Duel success |
51.5% |
52% |
The question that Newcastle must ask themselves is whether Frattesi would be worth the chase.
He’s fallen out of favour at Inter in the last 18 months and it’s easy to see why. His numbers were incredibly poor last season in the limited game time that he did get. If Newcastle secure his arrival, they would be signing a player in desperate need of a form revival.
There is not the luxury of a settling in period for any fresh faces at St James’ Park these days, either. Every new signing must hit the ground running after such a tumultuous summer.