Newcastle United have PSR 'problem' as cut-price transfer reported by Spanish media
Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules will likely prevent the Newcastle United goalkeeper from leaving permanently on the cheap.
Newcastle United goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos is earning rave reviews for his performances on loan at La Liga side Sevilla.
Vlachodimos joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest last year for a reported £20million as academy graduate Elliot Anderson headed in the opposite direction in an agreement that helped both clubs comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
To put it bluntly, the decision to sign the 48-capped Greece international was viewed as a way to avoid an inevitable points rather than genuinely wanting to sign him. And so that proved, as Vlachodimos made just one substitute appearance last season.
NUFC goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos impressing at Sevilla
Vlachodimos found himself behind Nick Pope, Martin Dubravka and perhaps even John Ruddy in the pecking order before Dubravka was replaced by Aaron Ramsdale in the summer.
NewcastleWorld reported earlier in the transfer window that the Magpies were actively trying to arrange a loan move for Vlachodimos, having put feelers out to intermediaries. He first turned down a switch to Mexican outfit Pumas before getting his wish of remaining in Europe with Sevilla in Spain.
And following a difficult spell in England, Vlachodimos is now reaching the levels that made him highly regarded at Benfica with back-to-back man of the match displays in wins over Rayo Vallecano and FC Barcelona.
Although Sevilla beat Barcelona 4-1, it was Vlachodimos’ penalty save from Robert Lewandowski that stopped the game going 2-2 in one of 17 stops he made. Spanish publication Elpespunte notes that Vlachodimos has “turned Sevilla's goal into a fortress”, delivering “top-level performances, proving decisive even in the most demanding matches”.
Sevilla interested in signing Odysseas Vlachodimos permanently - but there’s a catch
Vlachodimos is on loan at Sevilla for the duration of the 2025-26 season but according to Diario de Sevilla (via NUFC Blog), the Spanish side are already looking into the possibility of a permanent transfer.
It’s claimed that Vlachodimos is hoping Newcastle sanction his sale at a reasonable price next summer, with a €5million cut-price (£4.3m) figure mentioned. However, a permanent deal is already threatening to run into difficulties.
Unless Newcastle are able to recoup a significant fee for Vlachodimos, any sale would go down as a significant PSR loss on the books.
For example, having paid around £20m for the player and put him on what is believed to be a five-year deal, this summer the Greek was worth around £16m on the books. In a PSR world, it would have meant Newcastle would have to sell him for that figure in order not to incur a loss on their calculations.