Newcastle United have already agreed two summer transfer exits as £20m deal triggered
Newcastle United have already confirmed two summer transfer exits.
Newcastle United have agreed to loan out new signing Antonio Cordero for the 2025-26 season.
Cordero will officially join the Magpies as a free agent on July 1 after running down his contract at Spanish outfit Malaga. The 18-year-old winger was approached by European heavyweights Real Madrid, Barcelona and Porto but chose to move to England.
Born in Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Cordero had youth spells with Cadiz, Sevilla, Real Betis and Malaga before signing his first professional deal with the latter in 2022. He made 60 appearances and scored seven goals for Los Boquerones, including the goal that secured promotion that secured the club’s promotion back to La Liga in 2023-24.
Reacting to his move to Newcastle, Cordero said: "It's truly an honour to be here, truly a pleasure. I am a person who likes to aspire high. Why not come to one of the best places in the world to do it. It's a big step, and that's one of the reasons I'm here. I'm happy to do it and have a great desire to get going already."
Newcastle United confirm Antonio Cordero plans
Cordero is set to pen a five-year contract until June 2030, though he is expected to spend next season out on loan. That was confirmed by outgoing sporting director Paul Mitchell.
Mitchell, who is due to leave at the end of this month but played a key role in convincing Cordero to sign, said: "Antonio is an exciting talent. We're delighted to bring him to Newcastle United amidst interest in Spain and across Europe.
"He has lots of potential, and the next phase of his development will be for the club to select a loan move that will challenge him and build on his experiences."
Newcastle adopted a similar approach with Yankuba Minteh, who they signed from Danish side Odense Boldklub for £7million before quickly loaning him to Feyenoord for the 2023-24 campaign.
Eddie Howe had planned to integrate Minteh into the first-team squad last summer but was instead sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £33m to help the club comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Two Newcastle United summer transfer exits already confirmed
While Cordero will be leaving temporarily, a permanent exit for Lloyd Kelly will be made official next month. Kelly only joined the Magpies last summer but moved to Juventus in January after being limited to just 14 appearances.
An initial loan deal included a £20million obligation to buy, the criteria of which has been met through making a certain number of appearances. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe didn’t want to lose the 26-year-old but accepted it for financial reasons.
“We were very reluctant from our side,” Howe said. “Lloyd is a player who has just recently signed and we believed in him and his qualities. It was frustrating for him that he hadn't played more, in part down to the other players around him.
“But we are in the world and we have been in this window of trying to manage PSR and trying to make decisions that will benefit us in the long term. This is one of those decisions. Lloyd leaves with our best wishes. I'm sure he'll do well in Italy and it's an exciting challenge for him.”