Eddie Howe confirms imminent Newcastle United signing as player spotted on Tyneside
Newcastle United are close to unveiling their fourth major signing of the summer.
Eddie Howe has confirmed that Newcastle United are “getting closer” to the signing of Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa.
Ramsey travelled to Tyneside on Thursday night to undergo the first part of his medical after a £39million plus £4m add-ons deal was struck with Villa.
The 24-year-old’s medical continued into Friday before he was spotted at St James’ Park doing his media duties. Images shared by X account @dankelly13 showed Ramsey standing pitch-side holding a Newcastle home shirt with number 41 on the back, the same number he wore at Villa.
As Newcastle prepare to officially unveil Ramsey, the midfielder watched on from afar as his soon-to-be new club drew 0-0 with his current club on the opening day of the Premier League.
Eddie Howe confirms imminent Newcastle United signing
When asked about Ramsey after the game at Villa Park, Howe said: “It looks like he's getting closer for us, but again, I've been preparing for the game, so I don't know what stage he's at, but he's certainly a player we like.
“I think he'll offer a lot more strength in depth in that difficult area, and having lost Sean [Longstaff] and Joe Willock to injury, that's an area that we've been concerned about through the second half of pre-season.
“Certainly with the amount of games we have this year, we know that's not a number we can carry forward. We need more depth, and he's an outstanding player.”
Why Newcastle United are signing Jacob Ramsey
Ramsey has been on the books at boyhood club Villa since he was six but now 24 is preparing for a new challenge over 200 miles away from home.
Newcastle are signing a midfielder they sought after selling an academy graduate of their own, Sean Longstaff, to Leeds United last month, while from a Villa perspective, the sale was necessary due to Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA’s squad cost rules (SCR).
Villa’s financial situation has allowed Newcastle to take advantage, just like they were taken advantage of over 12 months ago by other clubs.
Pressures to comply with PSR forced the Magpies into selling academy graduate Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for a combined £68m to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
Ramsey has long been admired by head coach Howe, with the midfielder first linked with a move to St James’ Park in January 2024. In 167 appearances for Villa, Ramsey has scored 17 goals and provided 19 assists.
He will become United’s fourth major summer signing following the arrivals of Anthony Elanga and Malick Thiaw from Nottingham Forest and AC Milan, respectively, and the loan signing of Aaron Ramsdale from Southampton.