£68m Newcastle United target switches agent in biggest hint yet he could be on the move

Eddie Howe still needs to find himself another defender this summer after a move for Tosin Adarabioyo fell through at the last minute.

Newcastle United were still able to land Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth, but the idea of bringing in two new defenders as free agents fell apart when Adarabioyo chose Chelsea over Newcastle.

Now the Magpies must pivot and will likely have to use some of their already-stretched budget to bring in a new centre-back to back up Fabian Schar.

One player Newcastle have been linked with for a long time is Ousmane Diomande of Sporting who, according to Portuguese outlet RECORD (via Newcastle World), has just changed agents heading into the summer.

Ousmane Diomande could be on the move this summer

Quite often when a player changes agents, especially around a transfer window, it's with a view to acquiring a new club, so it does look like Diomande may be on the move this summer.

However, he is still under contract at Sporting with that deal having a £68million release clause etched into it. That contract runs until 2027 so that leaves Sporting in a strong position to negotiate that any side willing to take Diomande will have to activate his release clause.

That will probably rule Newcastle out of a move as £68million on a 20-year-old defender with no Premier League experience is a risk we literally can't afford to take with FFP/PSR taking all the fun out of having the richest backers in world football.

Diomande's contract at Sporting runs until 2027

It's worth noting, however, that Newcastle World claims Diomande is currently only earning £8,000-a-week (only!).

So with new agents on board, you'd expect that at the very least they'll be out to get that increased which will of course affect the release clause if a new deal is struck, equally, if Sporting can't afford the wage increase Diomande may push for a move, forcing Sporting to lower their price.

That's all speculation on our end of course, but the logic is there. There may be hope for the Magpies yet, although they won't have a clear run at him with Liverpool and Chelsea among his suitors.