Newcastle United have secured the signing of Belgium international Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille for an initial fee reported to be around £51 million, with additional performance-related add-ons. The 21-year-old forward, who can operate across the attacking line including as a No. 10, flew into Newcastle accompanied by his family and entourage ahead of completing a medical and signing a five-year contract. Fernandez-Pardo was a key target for Newcastle's new manager Matthias Jaissle as the club aims to strengthen its attacking options.
The arrival of Fernandez-Pardo has paved the way for Newcastle’s Germany forward Nick Woltemade to move to Juventus on loan. Woltemade, 24, joined Newcastle 12 months ago from Stuttgart for a then club-record £69 million but has struggled to adapt to the high-intensity styles employed by former manager Eddie Howe and his successor Jaissle. Juventus have agreed a loan deal reportedly worth £3.5 million with no option to buy for Woltemade, who will travel to Italy to undergo a medical, with the transfer expected to be finalized before the transfer window closes.
Woltemade’s loan switch to Juventus also follows interest from other clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, although talks with Manchester United over Joshua Zirkzee stalled, which led Juventus to focus on Woltemade as a replacement for the departing Atletico Madrid-bound Jonathan David.
In addition to these moves, Newcastle faces further transfer activity ahead of the deadline. Winger Jacob Murphy, the club’s longest-serving player since joining in 2017, remains the subject of interest from Nottingham Forest, who have submitted a £10 million offer that Newcastle have rejected. Despite the interest, manager Jaissle is keen to retain Murphy’s experience during the ongoing squad restructuring. Similarly, midfielder Joe Willock, who is in the final year of his contract, has attracted offers from Besiktas but looks set to remain at St James’ Park unless a replacement is brought in.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Everton have agreed a £40 million deal for striker Folarin Balogun from Monaco, with Balogun expected to replace Beto, who has moved to Fiorentina. Manchester City confirmed the signing of Brazilian forward Allan Elias from Palmeiras for approximately £32 million plus add-ons. Crystal Palace are preparing to sign defender Honest Ahanor on loan from Atalanta ahead of a planned permanent move to Chelsea next summer. Brighton are also close to completing a deal for Millwall forward Femi Azeez.
The transfer window is set to close shortly, with multiple clubs working to finalize their squads ahead of the new season.