Fabrizio Romano: Player rejects three offers to join Newcastle with deal agreed

Newcastle have spent much of the summer trying to rebuild a midfield stripped of its two most influential players.

Sandro Tonali completed a £100 million move to Tottenham before Bruno Guimarães followed him out of St James’ Park to join Arsenal.

Those departures removed Newcastle’s main controller and their captain in the space of a few weeks.

They also handed new head coach Matthias Jaissle an immediate problem after replacing Eddie Howe on a four-year contract.

Newcastle finished 12th last season and entered the summer without European football, but the club still needed to reshape the squad while remaining careful with UEFA spending rules.

Their response has focused heavily on young players with room to improve and retain their value.

Sean Steur arrived from Ajax in a deal worth £23 million after establishing himself in the Dutch club’s first team at just 18. Newcastle then paid Monaco an initial £30 million for Aladji Bamba, with another £5.5 million potentially due through bonuses.

Bamba is a natural defensive midfielder, while Steur can receive possession deeper and move the ball through pressure.

REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Both are exciting additions, but asking young arrivals to replace Tonali and Guimaraes immediately would carry obvious risk.

Lewis Miley remains another important young option, while Joelinton’s injury has increased the need for experience before the Premier League opener against Liverpool.

That explains why Newcastle have opened discussions with Man City over Nico Gonzalez.

The Spaniard joined City from Porto for £52 million in 2025 but has struggled to secure a permanent starting place. He would offer Jaissle a more physically developed midfielder who is comfortable protecting the defence and circulating possession.

An earlier attempt to land former Tottenham ace Pierre Emile Hojbjerg did not produce a deal, leaving Newcastle short of a proven senior addition.

Their latest agreement, however, is designed for the future rather than the opening weekend.

Newcastle agree deal to sign Ousmane Diabate

Fabrizio Romano reports that Newcastle have agreed a deal to sign Ousmane Diabate from Turkish club Gençlerbirliği.

The 18-year-old is said to have selected Newcastle’s development plan despite receiving three other proposals from European sides. Diabate will not move to England immediately because the agreement includes him returning to Gençlerbirliği on loan.

That arrangement should allow him to continue playing senior football in familiar surroundings rather than competing for limited minutes on Tyneside.

The Guinea international is a defensive midfielder but can also operate in a more central role.

He stands at 6ft 1in, is right-footed and came through Guinea’s SOAR Academy before moving to Turkey in December 2025.

Diabate progressed rapidly from Gençlerbirliği’s youth squad into the senior set-up and has already received his first international cap.

No transfer fee or contract length has yet been revealed, but beating three rival clubs suggests Newcastle view him as a significant prospect.

The decision to loan him back also makes it clear that further midfield business is still required.

Diabate represents another investment in Newcastle’s next generation, while Gonzalez or another experienced arrival would be expected to help Jaissle immediately.