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Director of Football explains why two Newcastle transfers didn’t happen

6 years ago
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Anderlecht’s Director of Football has once again been talking about the two Newcastle transfers that fell through, despite both of them looking certainties to happen at one point.

Anderlecht are looking to get back to their previous position at the top, having not competed for the domestic league title last season, as well as having no Champions League football to look forward to this coming season.

Luc Devroe (Anderlecht’s Director of Football) says that the Matz Sels deal proved just ‘too expensive’ for the Belgian club.

This has already been acknowleged from the Anderlecht end and the Belgian media have previously said that Newcastle United ‘laughed’ at a bid of £1.75m for Sels, with Anderlecht not willing to pay the extra £500,000 to make the deal happen.

As for Chancel Mbemba, Devroe claims that:

“We were already a long way in the negotiations.

“We were really sure he would be coming back.

“There was already an agreement with his agent.

“But it is the player who still has to sign and that did not happen when another club (Porto) showed up.”

Whilst it was reported that just like Sels, Mbemba had agreed personal times with Anderlecht some time ago, the two clubs were however also said to be wide apart on valuations.

It is reported that Newcastle are holding out for £9m from Porto and that is why no move has materialised as yet.

There is no way that Anderlecht could have afforded anything approaching that figure, they have recruited 10 players already for little more than £11m in total. So spending nearly as much again on one player such as Mbemba, as well as big wages, is a bit far-fetched.

Ut sounds more like Anderlecht saving face a bit, claiming they were willing to pay Newcastle what they wanted.

Whatever the truth of it, six weeks into the summer transfer window and Newcastle still haven’t shifted any unwanted players, or brought in any new faces.

Six more weeks to go…

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