Howe denies Newcastle ‘approach’ for £50m Villa man after ‘surprising’ rumour – ‘That’s incorrect’
Head coach Eddie Howe has revealed that Newcastle United have not made an approach to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey.
It was reported by The Athletic on Monday morning that the Magpies have approached their Premier League rivals over the signing of the England Under-21 international.
Howe is reportedly eager to bring in a new central midfielder before Wednesday’s transfer deadline and the report says Ramsey could be available for a fee in the region of £50million.
Ramsey would be an excellent addition but Howe insists there is nothing in the rumour.
Asked if there has been an approach made, the Newcastle boss replied: “That’s incorrect.”
In fact, Howe says there is nothing new to report
“Nothing’s changed,” he said. “It’s copy and paste from before and after the game against Fulham. There’s no fresh news to give you. We’re still waiting to see what will happen.”
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Howe continued: “It’s a complex situation, I don’t think anything is clear cut. All eventualities could happen.
“Probably what we won’t do is bring a player in without losing one the other way. All other options could still happen.
“Keeping the squad intact and, as the manager, trying to produce a team to win games would be the one for me.
“But we are guardians of the club’s future and we want to make the right decisions for the club’s future and for FFP. We don’t want to breach FFP.
“That is where I will support the decisions that are made for the long term and that will benefit the club.
“(The prospect of) no new arrivals increases with every passing hour because the deadline looms.
“Probably what we won’t do is bringing a player in without losing a player the other way, I think that’s impossible.”
He was also asked about reports Matt Targett could join Scottish champions Celtic, telling reporters: “Incorrect. You’re way off.
“Matt’s injured and he’s still got some time to go in his injury. He’s also a big part of what we’re doing here.”
There has also been talk of Callum Wilson leaving the club.
It was reported last week that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all fighting for Wilson’s signature, but Howe says he was “surprised by the noise”.
“I wasn’t aware of that with Callum, to be honest,” he said. “Callum’s 100 per cent committed just like Kieran [Trippier] is. That’s why I’m surprised by the noise with Callum.
“I don’t really understand it. He’s currently injured. We have one fit striker, he’s our second fit striker. We’re desperate to get him back. From his perspective and ours, there’s nothing in this.”
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