Newcastle could see bid accepted for £25m star

Newcastle United are not wasting any time in their pursuit of a permanent replacement for England international Anthony Gordon, who left the club last month.

The Magpies sold the former Everton star to Spanish giants Barcelona for a fee of £70m, and are now looking to dip into LaLiga to source his replacement.

It has been reported that the club are closing in on a deal to sign Osasuna winger Victor Munoz in a move that could be worth up to £35m including add-ons, which is half of the fee that they raked in for Gordon.

Eddie Howe’s side are already putting plans in place for the 22-year-old star to potentially undergo a medical in the USA whilst he is at the World Cup with the Spain national team.

This means that the Magpies could secure their replacement for Gordon early on in the window, and will not be panicking heading into the final weeks.

Newcastle United learn asking price for Premier League target

It is a risky move for Newcastle, though, because Munoz only produced six goals and two assists in LaLiga in the 2025/26 campaign and there is no guarantee that he will be able to adapt to the Premier League and deliver week-in-week-out in English football.

That is why the club should also be looking to bring in players who are proven in England, and a fresh update on one of their domestic targets has revealed how much they need to pay for a new defender.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United are open to cashing in on central defender Pascal Struijk when the summer transfer window opens for business.

The report claims that the Whites value the Dutch centre-back at a price of up to £25m, because he has one year left on his contract at Elland Road, which shows how much interested teams will have to offer to see a bid accepted for him.

TEAMtalk’s report does not mention Newcastle, but it was reported elsewhere earlier this summer that the Magpies are eyeing up a potential swoop for the left-footed star to bolster their squad.

Now, PIF know that they must stump up an offer of £25m if they want to secure a deal to bring Struijk over to St. James’ Park in the coming weeks.

Why Pascal Struijk would be a better Newcastle signing than Victor Munoz

The Dutchman would cost £10m less than Munoz, who is set to arrive for a fee of £35m, yet he would be an even better signing for the Magpies ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Unlike the Spain international, Struijk is a proven performer in the Premier League and would easily be able to hit the ground running, as he knows the league and what it takes to deliver week-in-week-out in English football.

The 26-year-old started 33 of his 34 appearances for Leeds in the top-flight and produced even more impressive performances in the division than Howe’s current left-footed centre-back Dan Burn did.

The Dutchman is eight years younger than Burn and is heading towards the prime years of his career, which means that he could arrive at St. James’ Park as the perfect replacement for the England international.

Their respective defensive statistics in the Premier League this season indicate that the Leeds star would be an upgrade for Howe at the back, as he offered more in most key defensive metrics.

Struijk also completed 88% of his attempted passes in the division, compared to Burn’s 79% success rate, and could offer far more to the team in possession when building play out from the back.

Newcastle should, therefore, pay the £25m asking price for the left-footed star because he would arrive as the perfect upgrade for their defence as a proven Premier League performer who could come in and hit the ground running.

That is also why he would be an even better signing than Munoz, whose attacking numbers in LaLiga do not suggest that he would be an instant upgrade on Gordon, who also scored six goals and provided two assists in the Premier League.

The Spaniard is also unproven in the Premier League, with no prior experience in England, and would not be as much of a ‘guaranteed’ success as Struijk would be, given his spell in West Yorkshire.

It is now down to the board to put the £25m down on the table for Leeds to accept, taking advantage of his contract situation to secure a potential bargain this summer.