Newcastle have agreed a £43m deal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey, according to reports.
Several outlets are claiming the deal has been agreed in principle, with just the finer details needing to be completed.
It is believed the Magpies will pay an initial £39m plus £4m in add-ons for the 24-year-old, who will sign a five-year contract.
The move would mutually beneficial for both teams, who meet at Villa Park for their opening Premier League game on Saturday.
For Newcastle, it would represent another positive step after a summer of disappointments and several months dominated by the uncertainty of striker Alexander Isak’s future at the club.
Eddie Howe has missed out on several targets in this transfer window, but has managed to bring in winger Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest and AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw on permanent deals.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has also joined the club from Championship side Southampton on a season-long loan.
Villa, meanwhile, had been looking to sell a player to help meet the league’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. As an academy graduate, any fee received from Ramsey’s sale would represent pure profit.
A former England Under-21 international, Ramsey has made 167 appearances for Villa since earning his senior debut in 2019, scoring 17 goals in that time.
Ramsey had two years left on his current contract and was a regular for Villa last season as Unai Emery’s side finished sixth in the league and reached the last eight of the Champions League, where they were narrowly beaten over two legs by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
