Midtjylland chairman comments on imminent sale of Jens Cajuste with Newcastle, Leeds and Rennes interested
Midtjylland are preparing for the defensive midfielder's departure and hope to recoup around £15m
With Newcastle still the only Premier League club yet to welcome any summer signings, a potential door has opened in Scandinavia.
Speaking on Danish television following Midtjylland's fantastic extra-time victory in the Champions League second qualifying round against Celtic on Wednesday, Midtjylland Chairman Claus Steinlein acknowledged that Newcastle target Jens Cajuste was expected to leave his club imminently.
The comments may be of interest to Newcastle who, as Steve Bruce acknowledged after the draw at Rotherham, 'must' strengthen the area of the pitch where 21-year-old defensive midfielder Cajuste operates.
Midtjylland supremo Steinlein told Danish TV station TV3+, "It's a bit like two years ago, when Tim [Sparv] and Jakob [Poulsen], who used to be good in our midfield, were replaced by Jens-Lys [Cajuste] and Frank [Onyeka], whom we now end up selling for about 200 million Krone," following the club's impressive win over Celtic, as quoted by Tipsbladet.
Onyeka has already completed his £8.5 million switch to Brentford this summer, so we know Steinlein is hoping to recoup around £15m million for Cajuste to earn the 200m Krone he values his assets at.
That figure could prove troublesome for Steve Bruce who is believed to be working with around £10m in transfer fees this window, and hopes to do loan deals for Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe and attacking midfielder Joe Willock who became a fans' favourite last season on Tyneside after scoring eight times in 14 appearances while on loan from Arsenal.
Cajuste is a tall, defensive midfielder and at 21 fits the profile of player Newcastle are looking at. He has five senior international caps and was a team-mate of Newcastle full-back Emil Krafth at Euro 2020, but only saw six minutes of game time during the tournament.
The fact Cajuste hasn't played in any of Midtjylland's opening games of the new season stokes speculation that his departure is inevitable. But with initial summer interest from Crystal Palace, Wolves, Leeds and Rennes reported, and a mooted £15m fee, Newcastle might find themselves priced out of yet another target.
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