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Miguel Almirón has left Newcastle and is bound for the US to sign for his former club Atlanta for a fee of around £9.5m.
The Paraguay winger has agreed personal terms and subject to a medical will sign for the team he left six years ago. Newcastle’s then manager, Rafael Benítez, was delighted to acquire Almirón for £21m in 2019 and his time on Tyneside has largely been successful.
The 30-year-old attacking midfielder has slipped out of favour this season, starting only one Premier League game for Eddie Howe’s side, but proved an integral part of the team that secured Champions League qualification during the 2022-23 season. Almirón made 223 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 30 goals. On Saturday he stepped off the substitutes’ bench at St Mary’s to make a poignant farewell appearance in the 3-1 win against Southampton.
Last season Almirón attracted interest from Charlotte, another MLS club, as well as teams in Saudi Arabia, but chose to remain in England. Now, though, the player has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal with Atlanta, making it an extremely attractive move for a player whose contract at Newcastle was due to run until June 2026.
Howe primarily deployed Almirón on the right wing and will be sad to see a popular member of his dressing room depart from a squad lacking strength in attacking depth. Although the club’s recruitment team have been busy scouting right wingers – with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo among those repeatedly watched – it is thought that the need to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) dictates the St James’ Park board are unlikely to sanction any significant transfer market investments until summer.
With Harvey Barnes sidelined by injury for the next fortnight, Almirón’s exit leaves Howe with only two fit specialist senior wingers in Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa and Wolves are interested in signing the Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. The France international is out of favour at Stamford Bridge and could be allowed to leave before the transfer window shuts next month.
Villa and Wolves are looking for defensive reinforcements. Wolves are also looking at the Lens defender Kevin Danso. Villa are short at centre-back after selling Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce and losing Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres to injury.
The expectation is that Disasi, who also has interest from European clubs, would favour a move to Villa if they can agree a deal with Chelsea. The 26-year-old would have the opportunity to play regular football and compete for a club in the Champions League.
Disasi, who has not convinced since joining Chelsea from Monaco 18 months ago, has made only four starts in the league this season. He has not fitted into Enzo Maresca’s style of play and has struggled with the Italian’s demands to play out from the back. Disasi, who can play at right-back or centre-back, is not in Maresca’s long-term plans.
The writing was on the wall for Disasi when Chelsea recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace. Chelsea decided to act after losing Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana to hamstring injuries. Chalobah has started alongside Levi Colwill in Chelsea’s last two matches.
