Newcastle United midfielder set for shock move to Champions League rivals before transfer deadline

Newcastle United midfielder Lucas De Bolle is set to make the shock move to Dutch champions Feyenoord before Friday’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Sources in the Netherlands over the last 24 hours claim negotiations are ongoing which will likely see De Bolle join the Feyenoord’s under-21s team on a season-long loan. His current contract is due to expire next summer.

The 20-year-old, who was born in Scotland to a Belgian father and an English mother, joined the Magpies’ academy in 2015 but is yet to make a competitive first-team appearance, despite featuring on the bench and in friendlies on the odd occasion.

De Bolle spent last year on loan at Hamilton Academical and made 26 appearances but couldn’t prevent the Scottish outfit from being relegated into the third-tier.

His proposed move to Feyenoord will strengthen the ties between both clubs. Earlier in the summer, Newcastle signed Yankuba Mintehn from Danish side Odense Boldklub for £7million before immediately loaning the 19-year-old Gambian winger to the Rotterdam-based outfit.

Speaking about Minteh’s arrival, sporting director Dan Ashworth described Feyenoord as “a club that also has a strong development record of its own.”

United could face last season’s Eredivisie winners in the Champions League group stage, which takes place in Monaco at 5pm this evening (Thursday). Feyenoord are in Pot 1, while Eddie Howe’s side sit in Pot 4.