Newcastle United are closing in on the signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, with talks progressing positively and hopes high that a deal could be finalised by the weekend.
Softfootball can reveal that confidence is quietly building at St James’ Park, especially as fresh details emerge about a surprising twist. Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo was reportedly keen on landing a player from Newcastle in return as part of the deal.
Negotiations between Newcastle and Nottingham Forest for Elanga have been ongoing for several days now and while a total agreement has not been reached yet, the two sides have at least found common ground over the asking price. To that end, the Magpies’ £55m (€64m, $75m) offer for the 22-times capped Sweden winger is close to being accepted, and now only one small hurdle remains before a full agreement is reached.
While the total value is close to what Forest expects, both sides are now working on the structure of the deal: how and when the money will be paid. A small fine-tuning of the offer, and increasing it to around £56-57m, could also help bring the two clubs closer to a final agreement.
Manchester United are also watching the situation carefully, as they are entitled to 15% of any profit from Elanga’s sale, having included a sell-on clause in his original transfer to Forest.
As it stands, and having sold the 23-year-old for just £15m in 2023, they look set to pocket an additional £6m – which is 15% of the likely £40m profit Nottingham Forest stand to make.
On the player’s side, there are no expected issues with personal terms and an agreement is quickly expected to be reached between the parties.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is a big admirer of Elanga, and the club is confident that the deal can be completed soon despite the small remaining differences.
Talks are ongoing, and both parties are hopeful of finding a solution in the coming hours/days.
In the meantime, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crooks has revealed Newcastle’s efforts to sign Elanga stretch back to the January window. And he has revealed the name of the Newcastle player that Forest boss Nuno tried to sign as part of any deal. These where Crooks statement;
When Forest and Newcastle were talking about a potential deal for Elanga late in the winter window, my understanding is that Forest actually wanted to take Jacob Murphy in part exchange. Eddie Howe put a stop to that because he’s such a big fan of Murphy.
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Newcastle are expected to get the ‘green light’ after succeeding with their newest bid. It is also said that Elanga is close to agreeing personal terms with the Tyneside club.
Once that deal is complete, the Magpies are expected to switch their focus to another high-profile target.
In an earlier update, Softfootball reported that Newcastle are chasing Bakayoko as Man City reject Doyle bid. Newcastle United have compiled a shortlist of attacking reinforcements in case Elanga’s deal doesn’t go as expected.
Top of the list is Johan Bakayoko from PSV Eindhoven. The 22-year-old Belgian winger had an outstanding season, registering 12 goals across 46 games, and is entering the final year of his contract, making him a potential bargain.
Other options include Karim Adeyemi, the 23-year-old German scored 12 goals and made 9 assists last season, though Dortmund are reluctant to sell. Second on the list is Mohamed Kudus, after a rocky 2024–25 campaign, the Ghanaian could be on his way out.
