Newcastle Pulls Out of Fernandez Deal Over Lille's Financial Demands

Newcastle United has temporarily pulled back from signing Belgian Matias Fernandez Pardo, currently of French club Lille, due to the high financial demands from the French side during the summer transfer window.

TEAMtalk reports that Newcastle is in discussions with Lille to explore the possibility of signing the 21-year-old player, but was taken aback by the French club's demand of £60 million, equivalent to €70 million.

Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig had made offers close to €40 million, but Lille rejected them. Newcastle then submitted a verbal offer of around €45 million, yet they failed to change the stance of the French club.

Consequently, Newcastle has decided to step back from the deal for the time being, joining Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig in rejecting Lille's valuation of the player, despite the English club's ongoing interest in signing him, should the French club lower their demands.

The source indicated that Fernandez Bardo wants to leave Lille, while Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa have inquired about his status over the past two weeks, but they faced the same financial demand.

The player is known for his ability to play in all three attacking positions, having featured last season as a central striker and scoring 7 goals in 16 matches. However, he did not participate in Lille's opening match against Angers, raising ongoing questions about his future.