Newcastle ready to 'banish senior player to the youth team' in row over transfer days before PSR deadline

Newcastle United are reportedly set to 'banish' a senior player to the youth team if they fail to sell him in the coming days.

Newcastle endured a difficult season in 2023-24, finishing seventh in the Premier League table and missing out on a place in Europe next term.

In a bid to return to the level reached in 2022-23 when the Magpies finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League, Eddie Howe will look to strengthen his squad this summer.

However, Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules could make that tricky.

Newcastle are concerned that they could fall foul of PSR if they don't raise funds before Sunday's accounting deadline. Breaching the rules could result in a points deduction, as Everton and Nottingham Forest found out last season.

The easiest way to avoid that would be to sell a player for a significant profit, and that's exactly what Newcastle are hoping to do with Yankuba Minteh.

The Gambian winger joined Newcastle last summer in a £6.5 million move from Danish club Odense Boldklub before spending the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Dutch side Feyenoord.

Ten goals and six assists in 37 Eredivisie appearances attracted the interest of French giants Lyon, whose have had a bid that could rise to £40m accepted by Newcastle.

Newcastle are trying to sell Yankuba Minteh as soon as possible. [Getty]

The sale would solve Newcastle's PSR problem, but according to The Sun, Minteh will not agree to the move.

That's because the 19-year-old wants to join Everton, who have held talks with his representatives but are unlikely to agree a fee with Newcastle before the PSR deadline.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Brighton are also interested in the attacker and have asked Newcastle for the conditions of a potential deal.

The Sun have reported that Minteh will be forced to train with the club's youth team if he refuses to join Lyon.

The newspaper claims that the 19-year-old is currently visiting family in The Gambia and has no plans to return to Europe any time soon, making a transfer this week unlikely.

While Minteh does not feature in Howe's plans for next season, club sources have indicated that the manager would assess him during training if he remains on Tyneside.

SPORTbible has approached Newcastle United for comment.

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