Newcastle United told £35m deal ‘off the shopping list’ after Champions League return

Former Premier League striker Michael Bridges believes players such as James Ward-Prowse will be crossed off Newcastle United’s summer transfer list after sealing a return to the Champions League.

Southampton star Ward-Prowse is one of several players to be linked with the Magpies in recent months. According to Football Transfers, the 28-year-old is worth around £35million.

But Bridges, who once wore the colours of Sunderland, Newcastle and Leeds United, believes United’s recruitment team will be aiming for a higher calibre of player now they’re back in Europe.

The 44-year-old namechecked Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic, Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and James Maddison of Leicester City.

He told the GegenPod Football Podcast: “It is so much easier to be able to go to a player and say will you come to this football club to play Champions League football.

“I was looking at the game a few weeks back when they played Southampton, and to think a player like Ward-Prowse was on the radar for Newcastle United, it would be an easy target to go and get someone like him now Southampton are going down. He’s off the shopping list now, there’s no chance.

“You’re talking about people like Brozovic, people at Juventus like Vlahovic with the points deduction that they’ve just had. There’s players available who will want to come and play, and it’ll be an easier move to get a black-and-white shirt from Juve to Newcastle.

“Your clientele list has gone through the roof, and I remember thinking about being at Leeds United when we signed Rio Ferdinand when we got into the Champions League. That was an incredible move that blindsided all of the players that were here.

“It’s going to be a very, very interesting summer and there’s going to be some very big names. The names I keep hearing are Maddison, and Brozovic is another big name that is being bounded about as well.”

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