Newcastle United may find Salomon Rondon harder to get now

Newcastle United had intended to sign Salomon Rondon to a permanent contract by activating his £16.5m release clause. Now that seems to be a bit more difficult as he won’t be a free agent following this season.

West Bromwich Albion have made the decision to extend the striker’s contract. But wait, there’s more. Not only does this mean Newcastle will have to pay, but the contract extension has eliminated the release clause in Rondon’s contract. A fee will have to be negotiated. West Brom may ask for more than just £16.5m if Rondon performs well.

But this all may not actually matter to the club. Rondon turns 29 in September, and Newcastle doesn’t usually make it a habit to sign players reaching their thirties. It’s likely that Rondon’s deal was only ever going to be a one-and-done thing, but if Newcastle had plans following the end of this season, they may have to begin planning sooner rather than later, as West Brom is going to be ready to negotiate before Rondon’s departure from the club becomes a permanent one.

However, if Rondon performs as well as we all hope he does, his fee will increase, as will the calls to make his move permanent. Ashley was reluctant to let £16.5m drop for Rondon permanently, if his price increases, it will only serve to drive Newcastle United further away from a deal, not closer.

With this news, I fully expect this season to Salomon Rondon’s only one with the magpies. Let’s hope it counts for something.