Newcastle United favourite would be ‘surprised’ if £120m star doesn’t leave as Magpies ‘open to offers’

Newcastle United lost just their fourth Premier League fixture of the season at the weekend after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

In doing so, Eddie Howe’s side dropped behind Manchester United in the league standings as the Red Devils went third and there is now extra pressure on this weekend’s match with Tottenham Hotspur as the race for Champions League qualification heats up. Meanwhile, there are also plenty of transfer news stories making headlines behind the scenes as the rumour mill keeps turning.

A former Newcastle United star has commented on current St James’ Park favourites and says he’d be ‘surprised’ if the Magpies can keep a hold of him beyond the next transfer window. Elsewhere, other reports claim that United are ‘open to offers’ in the summer for another first team star. Here are the latest Newcastle United transfer news stories on Monday, April 17:

‘I’d be surprised’ - Former Newcastle United star expects Magpies to be ‘tempted’ by ‘big bid’ for Bruno

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop believes his old club could be tempted to part ways with one Bruno Guimaraes this summer. The one time St James’ Park fan favourite believes ‘big bids’ could be incoming in the next window and that the North East club would surely be ‘tempted’ to sell if they do.

As quoted by NewcastleWorld, he said: “I’d be surprised if they kept Guimaraes. I’d be surprised if a big bid doesn’t come in for him this summer. I’m just saying I’d be surprised if a big bid doesn’t come in and they aren’t tempted. They’re not spending all the money in the world on players. They don’t need to sell players but if a bid of £120million comes in I think they’d sell.”

Newcastle United ‘open to offers’ for Saint-Maximin this summer

Newcastle United are reportedly prepared to listen to offers for Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, per a report from Sports Mole via TeamTalk. It is claimed that the Magpies are not convinced that the Frenchman features in their long-term plans and are willing to entertain offers in the summer.

The winger has not been guaranteed regular starting time under Eddie Howe and the club are expected to bolster their ranks further in the summer which could see the 26-year old fall further down the pecking order. The report also claims that there is interest from the Middle-East.