Newcastle United’s Alain Saint-Maximin has completed his medical in Saudi Arabia.

After receiving capital from a Saudi consortium, the Magpies have been actively looking to change things up. Newcastle brought in Eddie Howe to implement a clear-cut tactical approach, and strengthened the squad with the likes of Bruno Guimarães, Dan Byrne, and Sven Bortmann.

The move proved successful. In 2021-22, after a relegation battle in the first half of the season, the team made a huge second-half surge to climb up the standings. This continued into the 2022-23 season. Backed by a solid defense, Newcastle made every game count, finishing fourth in the league and punching their ticket to the UEFA Champions League (UCL). They also reached the final of the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), but fell short to Manchester United.온라인바카라

Now, Newcastle is aiming higher. Their goal for the new season is a trophy. To that end, they’ve been active in the transfer market. They’ve already brought in Sandro Tonali, who has developed into a top midfielder at AC Milan, and are close to signing Harvey Barnes, the “ace” of relegated Leicester City.

They are also looking to sell. Chris Wood has been sent to Nottingham Forest, while Ryan Fraser and Loris Karius are on the selling list.

Saint-Maximilien are also close to making a move. Domestically, he’s been called one of the English Premier League’s (EPL) dribbling trio alongside Adama Traore and Wilfried Zaha. His flamboyant play allowed him to make a strong impact in a short time. After joining the club in the 2019-20 season, he quickly established himself as a key part of the team, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 35 league appearances in 2021-22. However, his playing time dropped significantly in 2022-23 and his position faltered.

This led to transfer speculation. The Saudis, who have been attracting European players in recent years, approached Saint-Maximilien, who were battling AC Milan for the player.

The Saudis were the winners. Fabrice Hawkins of French outlet RMC Sport wrote on his social media page on the 19th (KST), “Al Ahli and Newcastle have reached an agreement in principle over a transfer to Saint-Maximin. Al Ahly have made an offer in excess of €25 million for the player, with an estimated salary of €12 million. All parties are convinced of the transfer.”

Since then, negotiations have progressed rapidly. Medicals have been completed. “Saint-Maximilien have successfully completed the medical at Al Ahli,” transfer market pundit Rudi Galletti wrote on social media on the 23rd. We are now close to making it official.”