Transfer claim involving Newcastle United now dismissed as player's agent speaks out
It doesn't take much for journalists to tack Newcastle United's name onto any transfer story these days; just a mere suggestion by an editor or, worse, a player's agent, is all it takes.
Since the 2021 takeover, Newcastle have become the go-to club to be linked with any high-profile player on the move. Even though Newcastle fans are well aware of the restrictions holding back our mega-rich owners, journalists and opportunistic agents still use us to generate interest in players.
Sometimes it's not even that sinister, it's just a case that someone sees a player's name being mooted with regards to a possible move, sees that Newcastle could do with a player in his position and put two and two together to create a story.
That's exactly what we feel happened over the weekend when Newcastle were linked with Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij.
Our feeling that there was nothing in the Stefan de Vrij rumours appeared to be spot on
We said at the time that there didn't seem to be much in the way of truth behind those claims, and now our gut-feeling has been proved right.
Italian outlet Calciomercato has now reported that any claims of a Stefan de Vrij exit this month have been greatly exaggerated, saying that there has been nothing from Newcastle.
They even suggest that a loan move would be highly unlikely this month, given that the 33-year-old's contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
Stefan de Vrij's agent already ruled out a January move
Speaking to the media back in December (h/t Sport Witness) when de Vrij was linked with Nottingham Forest, his agent explained that any movement would likely wait until the summer.
“The club has been very clear with us. They’ll make a decision at the end of the season. Obviously, some players will be free to negotiate a renewal, while others may have already signed with someone else in the meantime.
“However, I don’t see any decisions being made on the horizon. Inter will have their hands full; they have five or six players whose contracts are expiring and they’re all players who have made the club’s recent history. We’re relaxed; we know the club will resume these discussions in May or June.
“We’re doing our job, which is to bring as many options as possible to the players. That said, the players are very attached to Inter. De Vrij is in his eighth season, and Acerbi has also written some very important pages in the Nerazzurri’s recent history. They’re getting along very well, and I’m not ruling anything out, but we’ll talk about it in due time.”
