Newcastle United have told Nick Woltemade he can leave St James’ Park before the window shuts, according to a report from Caught Offside that has been picked up across the English press.
Manchester United and Liverpool are both monitoring the 24-year-old Germany international, whose first year in the north-east brought 33 Premier League appearances and a modest return in front of goal after last August’s arrival from Stuttgart for a club-record fee.
The Magpies would prefer a permanent sale in the region of €65m, but a loan with an option to buy is considered more realistic given the market for a striker who has struggled to bed in.
Where Woltemade would fit at Old Trafford and Anfield
Woltemade would not walk into either Old Trafford or Anfield as first choice.
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At United, Michael Carrick is understood to be searching for a squad striker after Joshua Zirkzee’s departure, with Benjamin Sesko locked in as the starter.
At Anfield, new head coach Andoni Iraola would be looking at the tall, physical German as a versatile option behind Alexander Isak, capable of playing as a nine or dropping in as a ten.
Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa are also in the picture, per the same Caught Offside report, giving Newcastle a genuine market for the striker.
Leao offered to Leeds in agency ring-around
The second Elland Road-linked rumour came a few hours earlier, when talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs revealed on air that Rafael Leao’s representatives had been shopping the AC Milan winger around English football.
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“Rafa Leao was actually offered, believe it or not, to Leeds United, Manchester United, and Arsenal,” Jacobs said, as transcribed by Milan Reports.
“The magnitude of the deal, the finances, the appetite and all of that, it doesn’t appear that anything is going to advance.”
The 27-year-old Portugal international is valued by Milan at around €50m, or roughly £43m, a figure that has been slashed from earlier estimates north of €100m. His wages, more than the transfer fee, are considered the real obstacle for any Premier League suitor.
Jacobs’ expectation is that Leao’s next move will be to Turkey rather than England, with Fenerbahce and Galatasaray both in dialogue with Milan.
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Farke’s Leeds unlikely to gamble on wages
Daniel Farke’s Leeds have been busy since promotion, but there is no indication the club is willing to match Milan’s asking price or Leao’s salary demands, and Jacobs’ framing of the agency call as a “ring-around” suggests the offer was speculative rather than a serious opening bid.
The Premier League transfer window closes at the start of September, leaving both dossiers, Woltemade’s exit and Leeds’s next winger, only a matter of weeks to move from rumour to signature.
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