How can Newcastle put 20 million euros on the table for Mitchel Bakker, the 21-year-old former Dutch left-back of PSG, sold 7 million euros by the capital club to Leverkusen last summer?
This is the question that many PSG supporters are asking.
Newcastle, bought 333 M € by a consortium including the Saudi investment fund PCP Capital Partners in early October, now plays in the same court as Manchester City and PSG.
So the club from the north of England undertakes to build a team commensurate with its new status.
And start by saving the furniture ... 19th and penultimate in the Premier League, the Magpies (the magpies), two wins in 21 games, are in bright red.
With 80 goals conceded for the year 2021 (43 this season), the priority is to strengthen the defensive sector...
The Black and Whites have thus poached from Atlético de Madrid Kieran Trippier, the English international right-back against 15 M€ at the beginning of January.
They are in talks with Sevilla FC to secure the services of Diego Carlos, the Brazilian central defender and are also interested in Sven Botman, the Dutch central defender of LOSC.
A sumptuous offer has been made on the person of Bakker, little seen in Paris and only about fifteen appearances with Leverkusen during the first part of the season.
Mechanically, prices are soaring, thus an important French players' agent, on condition of anonymity: "We are less than a week from the end of the transfer window, perhaps they have an urgent need for the position in question, can -maybe they have gone around the market without finding… For all these reasons, prices are rising, this is always the case in January.
In the specific case of Bakker, the proposed amount appears unreasonable, however. “If we start paying €20 million Bakker, what will it be for the really good confirmed players?, continues the agent. To have seen him at PSG, we could not think of such a rapid explosion in his value, continues the agent. However, what works in his favor is his young age. On the other hand, what plays against him, in terms of qualification for the work permit in England, is his lack of selection with the Netherlands. But the transfer amount can compensate nonetheless. The higher the amount of the transfer and the higher the salary, the more the person concerned scores points..."
However, Newcastle does not look at the expense, as evidenced by the offer of 42 M€ plus 10 M€ bonus presented to OL for Guimaraes, and the contacts established with the English international circles Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard.
“The people of Newcastle are in a delicate situation because they have dragged a lot on the technical level: recruitment, sports management, etc., continues the agent.
The club is in a situation where it is forced to overpay: because it is poorly ranked, because the people who agree to join them are taking a sporting risk.
The latter are not crazy enough not to put relegation clauses in their contract.
In England, it is common to offer a salary of so much in the Premier League, which is halved in D2 (Championship).
With such a policy, you cannot convince top players.
Except that the salary, even halved, remains phenomenal..."
In the light of these various parameters, the PSG has retrospectively no regrets to feed from the only 7 M€ drawn from the sale of the Dutchman.
“Bakker was not sold too badly by PSG, judges the agent.
In view of the matches he played in Paris, no one ever said to himself that he was promised a very great future, unlike attackers like Moussa Diaby and Christopher Nkunku, who had shown flashes - Editor's note : sold respectively €15m and €13m to Leverkusen and Leipzig.
Bakker arrived on tiptoe in the reserve team, for “zero”… PSG certainly has an interest in the resale of Bakker.
If he withdraws €10m from a player like him in the end, it's a great operation.
Finally, Bakker being represented by Mino Raiola (Haaland, Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Lukaku, Kean, Donnarumma), perhaps the Magpies are thinking of currying favor with the super agent, in anticipation of future transfers.
“It does not spoil, believes our interlocutor.
But it's a double-edged sword.
Raiola won't be long in trying to sell them Balotelli or whatever bastard from his wallet..."