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Today — 22 March 2026Main stream

How Newcastle could still play in the UEFA Champions League next season

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By:Saikat
22 March 2026 at 00:00

Newcastle United have not been at their best this season, but they could still qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

According to the UEFA rules introduced in 2024 (h/t Shields Gazette), the two nations with the highest coefficient are handed an extra qualification.

Newcastle still have a shot at Champions League football

Given the performances of the English clubs in Europe this season, they are likely to get an extra Champions League place. Usually, the top four teams in the Premier League secure Champions League qualification, but qualification is now virtually guaranteed for the team finishing in fifth place as well.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are pushing for a place in the top four and are favourites to win the UEFA Europa League this season. If they drop to fifth in the table and win the European competition, sixth place would also qualify for the Champions League through the European performance spot.

Similarly, if Liverpool were to finish fifth or sixth and win the UEFA Champions League this season, the seventh-placed team would also qualify for the Champions League.

Newcastle plot shock swoop to steal Crystal Palace target with £40m move

Newcastle need to finish the season strongly

Newcastle are currently three points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford. While a lot of permutations and combinations will have to work out in their favour in order for them to play Champions League football next season, it is still a possibility.

It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can finish the season strongly and whether the other English clubs manage to win the European competitions. Newcastle have a talented team at their disposal, and they will feel they should have done much better than they have so far this season.

Spurs join Aston Villa & Newcastle in €30m chase for 11-goal creative force

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Yesterday — 21 March 2026Main stream

Spurs join Aston Villa & Newcastle in €30m chase for 11-goal creative force

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By:Saikat
21 March 2026 at 20:00

Aston Villa and Newcastle United are interested in signing the French midfielder Corentin Tolisso at the end of the season.

The 31-year-old has been outstanding for Lyon, and he has 11 goals to his name in all competitions. The player will cost around €30 million, and it appears that the two Premier League clubs are willing to get the deal done.

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Corentin Tolisso could be a useful signing

They could use more creativity and control in the middle of the park, and the 31-year-old could be an excellent short-term acquisition. According to a report from Sports Boom, Aston Villa have been closely tracking his progress and are hoping to tempt him in the summer. Meanwhile, Newcastle United are keen on the players as well.

Furthermore, Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring his situation, as the lack of European football could complicate a move. It remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old is prepared to move to the Premier League in the summer.

Where will Tolisso end up?

Apart from being a quality performer for the French outfit, he is also the club captain. The likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham could use his leadership skills.

There is no doubt he has the technical attributes for English football, and he could be a very useful addition for all three clubs. The €30 million asking price seems reasonable for a player of his quality and experience. He should be able to justify the investment if he ends up moving to England.

Aston Villa are pushing for Champions League qualification, and they could be an attractive destination for the French international. On the other hand, Newcastle and Tottenham have ambitious projects as well. It will be interesting to see what the 31-year-old decides.

The post Spurs join Aston Villa & Newcastle in €30m chase for 11-goal creative force appeared first on CaughtOffside.

“Unwanted news” – Eddie Howe comments on Man United transfer links with Newcastle star

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By:Mark Brus
21 March 2026 at 13:03

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has played down transfer rumours linking his star player Bruno Guimaraes with Manchester United.

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The Brazil international has been a key player for the Magpies and is now their club captain, with Howe insisting any speculation about him holding talks with Man Utd is nonsense.

Howe also admitted it’s an “unwanted” story as he doesn’t want his players to be distracted by stories like this.

Watch below for Howe’s reaction when asked about reports in Brazil claiming that Guimaraes was discussing a move to Old Trafford…

Eddie Howe responds to reports linking Bruno Guimarães to Manchester United ??? pic.twitter.com/xb9TXQ0Fac

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) March 21, 2026

Eddie Howe slams Bruno Guimaraes to Manchester United transfer stories

“I don’t even know how to respond to that, I don’t even think I should because it’s a waste of my energy,” Howe said.

“Bruno’s our captain, he’s fully committed. He’s injured at the moment. His only focus is coming back to fitness.

“For me, it’s a nonsense story. Unwanted news, I suppose is the best way to put it. You don’t want your players distracted.

“I don’t know how much they’ll absorb that, but for me it’s not the time to think about that. In the summer, you can sort of understand those stories a little bit more because the transfer window is open.

“But to say our captain’s in discussions with another club is totally disrespectful to Bruno more than anybody else. He’s totally committed here.”

Is Bruno Guimaraes to Manchester United realistic?

Newcastle won’t want to sell an important player like Guimaraes, but United could do with a new midfielder, or perhaps even two this summer.

According to ESPN, this deal is even being pushed by current United player Casemiro, who would like to see his fellow Brazilian move to Old Trafford to replace him.

Still, Newcastle were tough negotiators last summer when Liverpool pursued Alexander Isak, eventually paying huge money to sign him late on in the window.

Newcastle won’t want a repeat of that and United will perhaps be reluctant to enter into that kind of lengthy saga when there could be other midfielders worth looking at.

The post “Unwanted news” – Eddie Howe comments on Man United transfer links with Newcastle star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

£40m price set: Chelsea open to offers for recent signing as PL club on alert

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By:Mark Brus
21 March 2026 at 10:44

Chelsea are reportedly expected to be open to offers for flop striker Liam Delap this summer, with Newcastle United named as potential suitors.

Delap already spoke with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe while he was at Ipswich Town, before ultimately deciding on the move to Stamford Bridge.

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That’s according to talkSPORT, who suggest that the 23-year-old forward could now be available for something in the region of £40m.

Delap scored an impressive 12 goals in 37 Premier League games for Ipswich, which led to plenty of interest in him last summer.

Still, there’s no getting away from the fact that he’s been a disappointment at Chelsea, scoring only one league goal so far.

Liam Delap transfer could be risky for Newcastle United

As we reported yesterday, Delap doesn’t look like an ideal fit for Newcastle right now, even if they could do with strengthening up front.

The Magpies urgently need a top class replacement for Alexander Isak, with neither Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa delivering for the club so far.

Liam Delap TOTAL SCORE: 8/25
Transfer fee **
Performance –
Achievements –
Career phase ***
Squad need ***

As you can see in the table above, Delap scored just 8/25 using our Transfer Fit rating system (more detail on how it works here), which is a low score mostly based on the fact that his recent form is poor and he doesn’t have enough of an overall track record to make up for it.

NUFC can surely find a better way to spend £40m, or, even better than that, try for a more expensive player who might prove the better investment in the long run anyway.

Delap’s fee isn’t crazily high, but that doesn’t mean he’s right for Newcastle at the moment, with Howe’s side in need of a strong window to make up for the chaos of last summer when they fought long and hard to keep Isak only to lose him anyway and end up with inadequate replacements.

The post £40m price set: Chelsea open to offers for recent signing as PL club on alert appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Newcastle plot shock swoop to steal Crystal Palace target with £40m move

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By:Saikat
20 March 2026 at 23:30

Crystal Palace are looking to improve the midfield unit in the summer, and they are keen on Nicolo Barella.

The 29-year-old has done quite well in Italy, and the opportunity to move to the Premier League could be interesting for him. Barella is at the peak of his career, and this could be his final opportunity to try out a new challenge.

Barella has also been linked with Liverpool.

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Palace want Nicolo Barella

Crystal Palace is preparing a formal proposal to get the deal done, and they could offer around €70 million (£60m) in order to sign the player. It will be interesting to see if they can convince the Italian international to join the club. They are not the only Premier League club interested in the player, and Newcastle United are among them, according to reports from Spain.

They are hoping to hijack Barella’s move to the London club with a £40 million offer. It will be interesting to see which of the two clubs can get the deal done.

Crystal Palace need more creativity and control in the middle of the park, and the 29-year-old could make an immediate impact. He is a top-quality player who has proven himself for club and country. He has the physicality and technical attributes to succeed in English football as well.

Newcastle could use Barella

Similarly, Newcastle could use a player with his quality as well. Bruno Guimaraes has been heavily linked with a move away from the club, and Barella could be a quality alternative.

It will be interesting to see if the Italian is willing to join either club.

Barella plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and he might prefer to join a team where he can compete for league titles and the UEFA Champions League. The move to Crystal Palace or Newcastle might come across as a step down for him.

The post Newcastle plot shock swoop to steal Crystal Palace target with £40m move appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Before yesterdayMain stream

Newcastle United showing strong interest in double Chelsea transfer raid

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By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 19:56

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in both Chelsea strikers Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, according to TEAMtalk.

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The Magpies could do with strengthening up front after a disappointing season in which they have failed to replicate the success of their previous campaign.

Newcastle won the Carabao Cup final and qualified for the Champions League last term, but have suffered since selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool.

So far, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa haven’t performed well at Newcastle, so bringing in someone like Jackson or Delap could be a good move.

Still, some NUFC supporters might also be slightly underwhelmed, as both players have largely flopped at Chelsea.

Could Liam Delap revive his career at Newcastle?

Delap is still only in his first season at Chelsea, but he’s clearly found it a big step up from his time at former club Ipswich Town.

The 23-year-old scored 12 goals in 37 games for Ipswich last season, standing out as a top performer even if the club ended up getting relegated.

This season, Delap has managed just one league goal in 21 appearances for the Blues, and it could lead to speedy exit.

Newcastle might bank on Delap getting back to his best, but it would certainly be a gamble, and even if he has some potential, he’s currently a long way from being someone who could replace a world class forward like Isak…

Liam Delap TOTAL SCORE: 8/25
Transfer fee **
Performance –
Achievements –
Career phase ***
Squad need ***

As you can see, Delap gets a low score with our Transfer Fit rating system (find out more about how it works here), suggesting that whatever his price would be, it would likely be well above what he’s truly worth.

Newcastle clearly need a striker and Delap is young enough that he could still turn his career around, but there’s not really enough there to suggest he’s at the level Eddie Howe’s side really need.

Could Nicolas Jackson do a job for Newcastle?

Jackson, meanwhile, has a slightly better scoring record at the highest level, even if he wasn’t quite up to Chelsea standards.

The Senegal international has also been pretty underwhelming on loan at Bayern Munich, but in fairness to him he’s struggled for playing time due to being behind Harry Kane in the pecking order.

Here’s how we scored him for Newcastle – slightly above Delap. Do you agree with our verdict? Let us know in the comments!

Nicolas Jackson TOTAL SCORE: 12/25
Transfer fee **
Performance **
Achievements **
Career phase ***
Squad need ***

The post Newcastle United showing strong interest in double Chelsea transfer raid appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Report confirms Arsenal interest in signing Newcastle United duo

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By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 11:44

Arsenal have an interest in both Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento of Newcastle United ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Gunners have been linked with the Magpies duo in the past, and now iNews seems to have confirmed the interest from Mikel Arteta’s side.

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It has previously even been claimed that Arsenal could be preparing a bid for Livramento, as per the Telegraph, while we’ve also covered Manchester City’s interest in the English full-back.

The latest from iNews is that Livramento’s future at Newcastle is in some doubt as there’s been a lack of progress over a new contract for him at St James’ Park.

Do Arsenal need Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali?

We’ve previously rated Tonali as a poor fit for Arsenal using our Transfer Fit rating system, as it’s hard to see the Italy international starting over Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi despite likely costing huge money to sign from NUFC.

Livramento, however, looks like a solid piece of business for AFC, scoring 17/25 and ticking pretty much every box…

Tino Livramento TOTAL SCORE: 17/25
Transfer fee ★★★☆☆
Performance ★★★☆☆
Achievements ★★★☆☆
Career phase ★★★★☆
Squad need ★★★★☆

Capable of playing both right-back or left-back, Livramento could be a useful option to ensure Arteta can continue to rotate his options at the back.

There could well be doubts over some Arsenal defenders this summer as well, with the likes of Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, and Myles Lewis-Skelly not playing as much as they perhaps would’ve liked this season.

Newcastle facing another worrying transfer window

It would be bad news for Newcastle, however, if they saw another summer dominated by players possibly leaving.

Alexander Isak left to join Liverpool last year and it proved hugely disruptive, so they could do without lingering doubts over other key players like Tonali and Livramento.

Arsenal will undoubtedly hope to pounce for at least one of those, but it will be interesting to see how strong Newcastle can be in the face of that interest.

The report from iNews adds that Newcastle want four new signings of their own as well this summer.

The post Report confirms Arsenal interest in signing Newcastle United duo appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Report: Newcastle United ready to make four signings in major summer overhaul

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By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 10:52

Newcastle United could reportedly be set to make sweeping changes to their squad this summer, with four new signings eyed up.

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The Magpies could do with something of a squad overhaul after a below-par Premier League campaign and a humbling Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona this week.

According to iNews, Newcastle are looking for four new signings – a goalkeeper, striker, right-back, and midfielder for Eddie Howe’s first XI.

It’s not yet clear which specific names could fill those roles, but there could also be other changes as the report mentions speculation over the future of midfield duo Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.

Newcastle United need a strong transfer window

Newcastle could do with avoiding more big names leaving after the very troubling saga involving Alexander Isak and his move to Liverpool last summer.

That dragged on for much of the transfer window and disrupted Newcastle a great deal, so they’ll hope to avoid anything similar happening with Guimaraes and Tonali.

If they can keep their most important players and also strengthen with those four targets they want, then things could look a lot more positive at St James’ Park next season.

This NUFC project is a promising one, but the team still needs a lot of work to truly establish itself in the top four.

It will be interesting to see what calibre of player they can lure to the club now as they’ll most likely be without Champions League football next season.

At the same time, though, Newcastle have shown that they can compete and get into Europe’s top club competition from time to time, so that should assure some players that they’re joining a strong project with a big future.

The post Report: Newcastle United ready to make four signings in major summer overhaul appeared first on CaughtOffside.

“Manchester United made some calls” – Fabrizio Romano delivers major transfer update

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By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 10:38

Manchester United have made some calls to be informed on the situation of Newcastle United central midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano provided a major update on Tonali’s future as it looks like there’s a lot of interest in the Italy international ahead of the summer.

The Red Devils are joined by Manchester City and Juventus as potential suitors for Tonali, though it looks like the cost of the deal makes it complicated for Juve.

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With Man Utd, it seems Tonali is just one of several names on their list, according to Romano, though they have had some contacts to explore this option.

Fabrizio Romano on Man United’s interest in Sandro Tonali and what they could do in midfield

While it could still be a while before we know for sure what United will do in midfield, Romano explained that Tonali is one name the club like.

The Italian journalist also made it clear that MUFC may well make more than one midfield signing, and that further internal discussions will take place to decide on what kind of profile they’re after.

“Man United have several names on their short list for the midfielder. It’s not only one or two because this will depend on the budget,” Romano said.

“This will depend on who’s going to be the manager. This will depend on which kind of player Man United will want to sign. Could be one, could be two.

“So, there are several factors that are going to impact who is going to be the midfielder for Man United. is not only one name at the moment the list is including several names before they meet internally and they say okay let’s go for this one but for sure Manchester United made some calls to be informed.”

Romano clarified that United and City are the two clubs who have called to be kept in the loop about Tonali’s situation.

Who’d be the best midfielder signing for United?

We ranked United’s midfield targets and there’s a strong case to be made for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.

Romano also mentions that United are targeting Anderson, but it surely won’t be easy to win the race for his signature after his superb form this season.

Other good fits could be Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, but Tonali didn’t score that high as we ran him through our Transfer Fit rating system.

Tonali came 7th on our list with an overall rating of 11/25, taking into account his recent form, likely cost, and current phase of his career.

The post “Manchester United made some calls” – Fabrizio Romano delivers major transfer update appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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