Chelsea target €21m Newcastle star Wilson

Callum Wilson is admired by Chelsea who are considering meeting Newcastle’s €21 million (£18m) asking price for the player, FootballTransfers has learned.

The Blues’ philosophy of bringing young talent could be overlooked for a deal for the England international, either during this window or the summer.

Chelsea are looking for a guarantee of goals and see Wilson, who has scored 26 goals across 45 Premier League matches, as a viable candidate, not least because he can offer invaluable experience alongside someone like Nicolas Jackson.

FootballTransfers understands that the belief of Chelsea is that Wilson can offer quality over the next 18 months at least, even if he is afforded less game time than he might earn a Newcastle.

The Magpies are hoping to bring in a midfielder into the fold at this point in the season but must sell to buy – Kieran Trippier was close to a switch to Bayern Munich, though the Bundesliga giants have opted, for now at least, not to launch a third proposal.

Alexander Isak is an outright centre-forward while Anthony Gordon is also capable of playing central.

For the club, a replacement for Sandro Tonali is a bigger priority than keeping Wilson, especially with Joelinton now out with a long-term injury and Elliot Anderson still contending with a back issue.

What has Callum Wilson said about his future?

Wilson, who is 31 years old, will see his contract expire in 2025 and it’s thought that the Magpies would be able to generate most value via a transfer fee by selling him immediately.

The striker has been linked with a move to AC Milan too this window, but Newcastle blocked any approach.

During a recent BBC Footballer’s Football Podcast, he said of his future: “It’s January, the window’s open and there’s always speculation around players, not just myself but with everybody else in the squad. I haven’t got much more to say than that.”

Wilson has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €7.6m, suggesting Newcastle would get excellent value out of this deal.