Newcastle United’s pursuit of Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez has received perhaps its biggest boost yet.
The situation has developed rapidly since The Athletic’s David Ornstein first reported Tuesday that Newcastle had opened talks for Gonzalez. Fabrizio Romano subsequently revealed that City was “quite open” to negotiating his sale, although the Spaniard’s desire to remain and establish himself in Manchester appeared to be the principal obstacle.
“On Nico, my understanding is that Manchester
City are quite open to doing business with Newcastle United about Nico Gonzalez,” Romano said. “So, for Man City, despite being short in midfield, Man City are not closing doors to the exit of Nico Gonzalez. It has to be the right proposal, but Man City are not closing doors to Newcastle.”
That obstacle may now be disappearing, with Manchester City prepared to let the midfielder leave as the Magpies continue working on a deal. According to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, City has informed Gonzalez he can leave the club, while Newcastle’s negotiations for the 24-year-old keep ongoing.
“Man City have told Nico Gonzalez he can leave and talks with Newcastle continue,” Hope reported. “Gonzalez open to move but some team-mates have tried to talk him into staying. One of three midfield options NUFC are looking at, but word is Gonzalez the leading target for now.”
That represents a notable change from Gonzalez’s own position earlier this month, when he publicly insisted he wanted to remain at the Etihad.
“I’m happy here. I don’t want to leave and I think the club wants me to stay,” Gonzalez said at the time. “I don’t think any player has the position guaranteed for all the matches. Everyone has to work hard.”
Now that the Cityzens apparently are not so interested in keeping him around, Gonzalez’s mind can change.
City’s stance has evidently shifted, as new manager Enzo Maresca also acknowledged Friday that several players who struggled for regular minutes last season would be better seeking opportunities elsewhere.
“Aside from Rodri, they all have in common one thing: they didn’t play a lot,” Maresca said when asked about several potential departures, including Gonzalez. “When they don’t play, probably they prefer to leave.”
The development seemingly clears two of the largest hurdles Newcastle faced when talks began earlier this week. First of all, City’s open message should make for softer negotiations and allow the Magpies to reach a deal for a reasonable fee. And second, Gonzalez, previously determined to stay in Manchester, should now be much more receptive to moving to St. James’ Park given Maresca’s hint at his diminished role.
However, an agreement between the clubs has not been reported yet, and Newcastle continues to consider alternatives in case Gonzalez or City track back and end up rejecting the move.
That said, if Newcastle can pull this transfer off, Gonzalez would immediately become one of the most established pieces in Matthias Jaissle’s rebuilt midfield following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali and find a place in the XI outright.
Newcastle has added youngsters Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba, but neither provides the Premier League experience or immediate starting pedigree Gonzalez would bring.
Would Gonzalez be your first choice to become the centerpiece of Jaissle’s new midfield, or should Newcastle still pursue one of its other targets? Let us know in the comments section below.
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