Newcastle United 'allow' former club-record signing to leave for £15m in January after five year stint

Newcastle United have made the shock decision to sell Miguel Almiron in the January transfer window, according to reports.

Telegraph Sport reporter Luke Edwards has revealed that the 64-time Paraguayan international is seeking a new challenge after fading out of Eddie Howe’s first team plans.

Almiron arrived at St. James’ Park for a club-record fee of £21m in January 2019, in a move which marked the final signing of Rafa Benitez’s three-year stint on Tyneside.

The former Atlanta United hero arrived at Newcastle to great fanfare and was in the stadium to witness the team’s shock victory over Manchester City - a result which helped catapult Newcastle out of relegation trouble at the time. Almiron made 10 appearances without scoring at the end of the 2018/19 season and remained a first team regular under Steve Bruce in the following two seasons.

The Paraguayan registered just eight goals and four assists during his opening four seasons on Tyneside but won plaudits for his tireless work rate, his incredible speed and his ability to drive up the pitch and alleviate pressure in difficult circumstances.

However, in Eddie Howe’s first full season at St. James’ Park, Almiron became a force to be reckoned with and his record of 11 goals and two assists in the league was enough to catapult Newcastle back into the Champions League places for the first time in 20 years.

More amazing memories such as the opener in a 4-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain followed last season, along with a vital assist in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland in the FA Cup.

However, over the last 18 months Almiron has fallen gradually down the pecking order and has largely been limited to only cameo appearances from the subs bench. So far this term, he has played just 103 minutes of Premier League football with almost all of his appearances coming from the bench.

The 30-year-old has started only one match in the Premier League this term which came in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Champions League hopefuls Chelsea.

Almiron has been an unused substitute for the last three Newcastle matches and is not thought to be in Howe’s long-term plans heading into the second half of the campaign.

Telegraph Sport claims the Magpies are seeking a fee of around £15m for Almiron to raise funds for alternative right-sided options in January, with sides from the MLS, Argentina and Saudi Arabia all showing interest.