
Newcastle United
Premier League • England
Newcastle, Everton lay groundworks for standout summer deal after official response

Newcastle United and Everton are both already working on deals to sign Thomas Muller in the summer after Bayern Munich responded to his contract claims.
Muller is out of contract with Bayern – the only club of his illustrious career so far – in 2023. The attacking midfielder recently admitted there have been no talks over a renewal yet.
At the age of 32, the World Cup winner has experienced practically everything possible with Bayern. But it remains to be seen if he will close out his career there or opt for a late challenge elsewhere.
Reports in January linked him with Newcastle, who are keen to compete for high-calibre targets since their Saudi-backed takeover.
There has been no approach from Bayern over a renewal yet, Muller has confirmed. But the Bundesliga champions have now made their response.
Oliver Kahn told Bild: “Whether that’s Manuel Neuer, whether that’s Robert Lewandowski, whether that’s Thomas Muller…
“Of course, it goes without saying that we exchange ideas with all these players in order to understand what they are thinking, what they want.”

Newcastle want to sign Thomas Muller from Bayern Munich?
Newcastle have identified Thomas Muller as a prime target to help them stay in the Premier League
What Muller wants, he has confessed, is to keep competing “at the highest level” – either with Bayern or a new employer.
It remains to be seen how much he could be convinced by either Everton or Newcastle. But Bild insist both are making moves for the forward.
Thomas Muller attracts ambitious Prem duo
The two clubs are both in the bottom half of the Premier League at present. However, they are traditionally significant sides and are aiming to get back on track.
Newcastle have new financial muscle behind them to add to their appeal, as long as they can escape the relegation zone.
Therefore, they hope to attract Muller, ideally in the summer – although Everton have similar plans.
And it is not yet ruled out that Muller will extend his 22-year association with Bayern, whom he joined as a 10-year-old. At senior level, he has scored 223 goals for them since (including nine this season).
He would certainly be a statement signing for Everton or Newcastle if he does leave Bayern. But there is time yet for him to stay in Bavaria.
Lampard vetoed Everton raid on Newcastle
Meanwhile, the arrivals of Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli to Everton came after Frank Lampard ended interest in Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff, a report has claimed.
Everton came into the January transfer window with Rafael Benitez in charge and the team on a downward spiral. In fact, by the middle of the month, Benitez had lost his job after a string of poor results.
And with the search for a new manager proving exhaustive, it looked like providing the new coach with signings before the deadline may have been a stretch too far.
However, Everton ended the month in a fantastic position. Lampard came into the dugout and he made two acquisitions in Van de Beek and Alli on deadline day.
Indeed, the pair – from Manchester United and Tottenham, respectively – have bolstered the Merseyside club’s midfield.
According to The Athletic, though, Everton would likely have agreed a deal to sign Longstaff if Benitez had stayed in the dugout.
The 24-year-old Magpies midfielder was a key target for the Spaniard. Indeed, Benitez saw Longstaff, who has risen through Newcastle’s academy, as the perfect fit for his side.
However, once the manager got the sack and Lampard came in, the deal was off the table.
Lampard made his name as a player as an attacking midfielder full of goals and assists. As such, he signed Van de Beek and Alli with that vision in mind.
The pair have arrived at Everton following struggles to find form and minutes at their previous clubs.
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