Newcastle plotting January raid for Brighton midfield pivot amid stalled contract talks
Newcastle United are being tipped to make a move for a top Brighton star in the January transfer window, if talks over a new contract continue to stall for the midfielder.
Matthias Jaissle continues to reshape his squad after a busy turnover of summer transfers, with midfield remaining an area the club are looking to strengthen after some high-profile exits.
And, according to Football Insider‘s Pete O’Rourke, Newcastle could move for Brighton‘s Yasin Ayari if talks over a new contract with the Seagulls fail to progress.
The Magpies considered signing the 22-year-old during the summer before ultimately pursuing other targets, namely Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Nico González.
“I think there will be clubs monitoring his situation at Brighton, like Newcastle who have been interested previously,” O’Rourke wrote on FI.
“If these contract talks that he’s in at the minute don’t lead to anything or lead to an extension, I’m sure there will be clubs keeping tabs on Ayari.”
Ayari’s current contract on the south coast has just under a year left to run, although the Seagulls do hold an option to extend it by another 12 months.
Brighton under no pressure to sell Ayari
O’Rourke previously reported that Brighton plans to activate that clause, which would keep the Sweden international under contract through 2028 and strengthen their negotiating position as a result.
“There isn’t any panic or anything else over his contract situation and everybody’s relaxed about it, but clubs will be keeping a close eye on his situation,” O’Rourke added.
Newcastle’s initial interest dates back to before the departures of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, with the Daily Mail reporting back in June that Ayari was being considered as a possible midfield addition.
European heavyweights AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund have also previously shown interest, meaning the Magpies will almost certainly face competition for Ayari if he does become available.
However, at this stage, Brighton are under no immediate pressure to sell a player who has started four of the club’s five Premier League outings to date this season.
That leaves Newcastle dependent on longer-term contract negotiations breaking down, despite that one-year extension plan.
Jaissle’s men return to action on October 12 when they head to Coventry City in the Premier League.
