Newcastle United have one more game to go before focus switches to a new season.
After beating Tottenham on penalties in Australia, Eddie Howe leads Newcastle into another post-season friendly on Friday, this time against the A League All-Stars XI.
After that, all attention will be on Saturday’s FA Cup final. If Manchester City beat Manchester United, the Europa Conference League awaits.
Then, Newcastle can embark on a break this summer, albeit many of their players will be heading for Euro 2024 and the Copa America respectively.
One of the players who won’t be travelling is of course Callum Wilson.
The striker, who Howe hailed as a “monster” after scoring against Burnley earlier this month, was not included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for the tournament in Germany.
Wilson says he’ll be back at Newcastle for pre-season and Howe has spoken about how much he wants to keep him at St James’ Park.
The club, however, are expecting a market for the forward between £15-£20m this summer.
Now, more insight has emerged.
Callum Wilson has held talks with Saudi Arabian clubs amid potential Eddie Howe U-turn
According to the Daily Telegraph, tentative talks between Wilson’s camp and clubs in Saudi Arabia have been held.
The report also adds that while Howe spoke of his desire to keep Wilson after the Burnley game, the messaging may have changed since.
They say that Howe was far less “forthright” about the striker’s future and avoided asking questions about it after Wilson missed games against Brighton and Manchester United…
Given his previous comments, that seems like a potential U-turn.
Callum Wilson needs to leave Newcastle this summer
No one can argue with Wilson’s goal scoring record. Even this season, he bagged nine goals in as many Premier League starts.
Still, he just cannot be relied upon to stay fit. With Alexander Isak hardly the most durable at times, Howe cannot risk going into another season – one that could yet include European assignments – with no striker fit.
If Newcastle can recoup most of the £20m they paid Bournemouth, it has to be seen as good business.
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