Chelsea’s latest £54m deal could open the door for Newcastle to strike key loan-to-buy deal this summer

Chelsea have agreed a blockbuster deal worth £54m to bring Newcastle-linked winger Pedro Neto to Stamford Bridge, according to reports from BBC Sport.

The Wolves star has been the subject of interest from various Premier League clubs including Tottenham and Liverpool in recent years due to his blistering speed, technical ability and eye for goal. 

When fit and firing, the Portuguese international has been a nightmare for defenders to deal with, but the player’s hefty price tag ultimately acted as a deterrent to a number of club’s including Magpies, who themselves are in the market for a winger. However, Neto’s move to west London could potentially act as a catalyst for speeding up a long-running transfer story linking the Magpies with a move for Noni Madueke.

The Chelsea winger is understood by Football Insider to be a priority target for Eddie Howe’s side and could find his first team opportunities further reduced by Neto’s imminent arrival. Madueke came through the youth system at Crystal Palace and Tottenham before leaving England to move to the Netherlands and sign for PSV in 2018. He lifted the KVNB Cup in his third season in Eindhoven and was earmarked for his tremendous potential after providing a sense of attacking flair to the team.

This potential caught the eye of ex-Blues boss Graham Potter, who acquired the player in January 2023 for a fee in the region of £29m. Madueke, despite the team’s problems on the pitch that season, stood out as a bright spark in the second half of the season, earning himself a place in England Euro U21 squad that summer.

Madueke, alongside Gordon, was victorious in that tournament as Lee Carsley’s men became the first Three Lions team since 1984 to win a major honour at U21 level.

However, last season he endured a difficult start under Mauricio Pochettino and was often left on the subs bench during the early part of the season, with Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk often being preferred.

The 22-year-old found first team opportunities hard to come by until the latter half of the season, but was ultimately able to end the campaign with a respectable five goals and two assists from 23 appearances.

But following the shock departure of Pochettino and the arrival of Enzo Maresca, Madueke once again finds himself in a situation of uncertainty surrounding his first team minutes.

Newcastle are in the market for a player of Madueke’s profile to provide competition to Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron, and have proven that they are experts in developing young players after the progress of Gordon in his first full season.

NUFC Blog understands that after signing Lewis Hall on a season-long loan with an option to buy, they could look to repeat the trick again with Madueke. This method would help both parties with any FFP concerns moving forward and would allow Newcastle to continue their pursuit of highly-rated Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi this summer.