Report: Championship club keen on signing 28-year-old Newcastle player, he’s not in Howe’s plans
Newcastle United have a trio of players to offload before the transfer window slams shut and there are now reports that Southampton could be interested in taking Isaac Hayden off their hands.
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and this summer have lost some of their top players, Tino Livramento now of Newcastle being one of them.
According to a report in The Northern Echo Southampton are eyeing a move for Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden who has been deemed one of three players surplus to requirements at the club alongside Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser.
Newcastle are struggling to offload their surplus players
The Northern Echo do say that there has been no formal approach made as yet but with time running out, they will have to make their move soon before the window closes.
Newcastle will likely not ask a big fee for Hayden or indeed Hendrick and Fraser as the aim is just to find them a new club as soon as possible and free up a big chunk of the wage bill.
Wages are the key issue here as all three are earning a decent amount at Newcastle and will have to take a significant drop to move on.
A move to Southampton would be good for Isaac Hayden
Eddie Howe has already spoken of the difficulties the club are facing in finding the trio new clubs saying: “I think with those players, in particular, it is very difficult for us as a football club because, in an ideal world for their careers, we’d want them to go and play football and have a good career at another football club.
“But there’s all sorts of difficulties associated with it – contract length, the amount of money they are earning – and it is finding a football club that they want to go to as well. They are all great lads. I have no issue with any of them and I wish them well, but let’s see what happens.”
Southampton would probably be a good fit for Hayden as it was only a couple of years ago when he was trying to engineer a move away from the club to be closer to family down south.