A big Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged on Renan Lodi heading into the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that the Premier League side will not have to pay €40m (£34m) in one go to sign the Brazilian full-back ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
He Tweeted: "Was told before €40million was the figure but that Newcastle’s bid for Lodi could be structured in a way that meant it wouldn’t have to be entirely the full amount up front. In January heard there was nothing in Yannick Carrasco but interesting his name keeps coming up."
This was in response to a Tweet from Atletico Universe on the defender's price tag: "Atlético Madrid would be willing to let Renan Lodi leave as long as the offer is not less than €40m. As for Yannick Carrasco: release clause (€70m) or nothing. €70m is an amount that is perfectly acceptable for Newcastle. [@JaviGomara @mundodeportivo]"
PIF will be delighted
PIF will be delighted with this claim as it means that they can spread the cost of the deal over the course of a number of windows.
Instead of needing to pay all of the £34m up front and taking a large chunk of their budget away, they can pay it in instalments to lower the initial cost. This could then allow them to use the money they save in this window on other targets in order to avoid going over any FFP limits.
Whilst £34m may seem like a huge signing on paper it may not be the case on the books if they are able to make several payments over time. This would be a cost-effective way of completing the deal for PIF and allow them to do more business in other areas of the squad.
Lodi would be an excellent addition to Newcastle's team as he has an attacking threat from left-back that can make him an exciting player for the fans to watch.
In Europe's top five leagues and European competitions over the last year, the full-back ranks in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 and the 91st percentile for assists per 90 in his position. This shows that he excels at bursting forward from the back and is capable of both scoring and assisting goals.
Supporters can, therefore, look forward to seeing him race up and down the left flank if PIF can strike a deal for the defender.