Miguel Almiron’s Agent Shifts Focus to Italy

Newcastle are staying put when it comes to their offer for MLS Star Miguel Almiron.

After Sky Sports Reporter Keith Downie eluded to Newcastle having an increased chance at landing the Paraguayan midfielder earlier in the day, The Chronicle have just released a report that makes it seem as if it might be a little bit harder for Newcastle to land Almiron than Keith thinks.

Newcastle have not budged from their initial bid of £16m for the midfielder, and it is understood that Atlanta United want at least £4m more in order to send Almiron to Northeast England.

In addition to the £4m bump in price, it is understood that Dani Campos is requesting a £4m agent’s fee that Newcastle aren’t too excited to pay. The agent’s fee plus the possible £100k a week wages and the additional £4m bump in price makes this an almost £30m investment on a player people are unsure has the talent to be a cornerstone piece for Newcastle in the Premier League.

The stubbornness of Newcastle has forced Campos to reach out to clubs in other countries. It has already been reported that Campos has reached out to clubs in Germany and Spain, but none of those clubs have come anywhere close to Atlanta’s valuation of the attacking midfielder. It appears as if Campos has now added Italy to the list of leagues he is pitching Almiron to.

The Italian league has only a few clubs that could possibly afford the transfer fee and wage demands of Almiron. With that small list being Juventus, Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Roma. Potentially Cagliari or Lazio could make a move if some sales are made. The issue Campos may face is that Almiron is not a target of these larger clubs, or a need of these larger clubs so there is no reason for them to be interested in Almiron. Additionally mid level and smaller Italian clubs may have a need for Almiron but his fee and wage demands would make a move for him virtually impossible.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

The panicked search for a club besides Newcastle to sell Almiron doesn’t seem like it will end well especially given there is not that much interest in him at the moment.

The frustration Atlanta is experiencing could play into Newcastle’s favor as it is possible Atlanta could drop their price in favor of add-ons in order to get the play-maker off their books.

The team is entering CONCACAF Champions League play soon, and it appears as if their most recent signing Pity Martinez is waiting for Almiron to be sold in order to take his #10 shirt. In all photographs of the player in training he has been seen not wearing any number after training with the club for almost a week.

It is still not out of the question for the MLS to somehow alter their Designated Player rule allowing for Almiron to remain with Atlanta for the immediate future. As two of the most popular teams in the MLS, Atlanta United and the LA Galaxy, are facing a dilemma of having 4 Designated Players on their roster. Such a rule change is not likely to happen anytime soon, so the pressure to sell Almiron is still pretty high for Atlanta.

With only a few days left in the window, time is of the essence for all parties involved as waiting until the last minute to get transfers done is never ideal.