Outgoing deal from Newcastle United will be completed in the next 24 hours
NEWCASTLE UNITED are set to complete an outgoing deal today, with young defender Alex Murphy on the verge of making a loan move to Bolton Wanderers.
Murphy will join the League One side for the remainder of the season after Eddie Howe sanctioned his departure in the hope that it will lead to regular senior involvement in the second half of the campaign.
The 20-year-old joined Newcastle from Galway United in the summer of 2022 and made his senior debut as a substitute in a league win over Chelsea in November 2023.
He also came off the bench in the 5-1 thrashing of Sheffield United in the latter stages of last season, but while he has featured in Newcastle’s senior matchday squad on a number of occasions this term, he has not been handed any time on the field.
With Sven Botman and Emil Krafth now back available, and Jamaal Lascelles also expected to return at some stage before the end of the campaign, Murphy was unlikely to find himself in too many senior squads in the next four months.
As a result, he has been allowed to leave on his first loan move rather than drop back into Newcastle’s Under-21s group.
He is set to join a Bolton side that currently sit in ninth position in League One, but that are in need of a boost after winning just two of their last eight league matches.
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Bolton boss Ian Evatt has spoken of the need to strengthen his squad this month, with Murphy’s impending arrival set to increase his defensive options.
The centre-half might not be the only Newcastle player leaving Tyneside this month, with Miguel Almiron’s proposed return to Atlanta United having moved closer over the weekend.
The Magpies are close to agreeing the terms of a deal that will see Almiron return to the United States on a permanent basis, six years after he left Atlanta to move to England.
Newcastle will receive around £10m for Almiron, who was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.
Lloyd Kelly was also an unused substitute against the Cherries, and the defender was the subject of a formal inquiry from Italian side Juventus over the weekend.
Newcastle are willing to listen to offers for Kelly this month, but are adamant the summer signing will only be leaving on their terms. At this stage, neither Juventus nor Fenerbahce, who were in talks last week, have come close to matching the Magpies’ valuation of the 26-year-old.
