£40 million Newcastle transfer could allow for 'trusted' players to stay

Yankuba Minteh's potential exit from St James' Park could allow Eddie Howe to keep his more established players - in what may be seen as an unpopular move by some Toon fans.

The Gambian winger is reportedly attracting interest from across Europe after enjoy a storming second half of the season on loan at Dutch Feyenoord.

Reports claim that Newcastle area holding out for £40 million for the 19-year-old who The Magpies signed for just over £6 million last summer. Talk of a potential exit from Tyneside has sparked anger amongst some of the fan base, most who see United's hand being forced so to be able to meet Financial Fair Play rules.

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Yet our Newcastle United Editor Aaron Stokes believes that Minteh leaving United may benefit the club and allow Howe to keep others at Newcastle who may otherwise need to be sold if Minteh was not.

Speaking on The Monday Show via The Everything is Black and White Podcast, he said: "Let's just say Newcastle sell Minteh, there's absolutely no guarantee that this player is going to be a star.

"He looks very good - he looked very good in Denmark and that's why Dan Ashworth signed him. He's had largely a good season in Eredivisie when he finally got going for Feyenoord but there's absolutely nothing to say he's going to be a good Premier League talent.

"I don't think Newcastle will get £40 million, even if that's what they value him at but let's say somebody wants to pay £20-£25 million for him, do Newcastle look at that and think 'if we sell Yankuba Minteh, who might not turn out to be very good, it means we don't have to sell Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff or Kieran Trippier?'

"Now some fans might be screaming at their laptops going 'but we want to sell these players - we want to sell Almiron,' but if you're sat in Eddie Howe's shoes and he's saying: 'well, I trust Miggy and I know what he can do week in, week out and I know how good he is and his strengths and his weaknesses and the same can be said for Sean Longstaff and Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson.

"Eddie Howe has never had a training session with Yankuba Minteh. It's a huge gamble because as you say on the flip side he could go to another team and tear it up.

"He was fantastic for Feyenoord in the final months of the season. It's a very, very interesting one because we're all sat here talking about potentially selling a player who really none of us have ever watched play for Newcastle United."

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