Despite the summer transfer window coming to a close in England, one Newcastle United player is reportedly set to travel for talks over a shock move away from St James' Park.
Newcastle transfer news
It was a fairly disastrous summer for Newcastle, who had to ensure that they stayed within their limits regarding profit and sustainability rules whilst attempting to improve Eddie Howe's squad. With the Toon unable to fulfil both of these requirements at the same time, in the end, the former was ticked off as the Magpies scrambled for options.
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That's not to say those at St James' Park didn't attempt to spend big, however. Newcastle reportedly made offers in the region of £60m to sign Marc Guehi, but their bid was not deemed enough for Crystal Palace to allow their defender to leave. By the time that saga ended in failure, Newcastle's pursuit of Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga came too little too late.
With the window closed, Newcastle's biggest signing was arguably their first in Lloyd Kelly, who arrived as a free agent at the start of the summer, representing the Magpies' struggles. Now, even with the window slammed shut, they're set to lose a defender.
According to Brazilian journalist Andre Hernan, Jamal Lewis is set to travel to Brazil for talks before potentially completing a move to Sao Paulo in a shock switch.
The left-back spent last season on loan at Watford and is seemingly not in Howe's plans given that the likes of Lewis Hall and Dan Burn sit ahead of him in the pecking order on Tyneside.
It would be quite the move for the former Norwich City man, swapping Newcastle for another historic club in Sao Paulo and the chance to get his career back on track using an unexpected route. Still just 26 years old, Lewis' potential move will be one to watch.
"Incredible" Lewis goes down as a Newcastle flop
When Lewis arrived at Newcastle in a deal worth a reported £15m in 2020, he was still very much a player many tipped for great things after an excellent breakthrough at Norwich City. Fast-forward four years, however, and he'll ultimately go down as a Newcastle flop amid struggles to stay fit and maintain a place in Howe's ever-improving side.
In the space of two seasons between 2020 to 2022, Lewis missed a total of 21 games for the Magpies through injury, handing him an upward climb back into their plans – a comeback he ultimately failed to complete.
Howe will be among those disappointed to see the left-back's Newcastle spell turn into such a frustrating period, having been full of praise for Lewis amid his injury struggles in 2022, saying (via The Boot Room): "Jamal, we hope, can stay fit and show us what he’s capable of.
“I believe in him as a player, but he’s just had really bad luck. He’s got a lot to offer physically, we’ve certainly seen that in pre-season – an incredible athlete. He needs consistency of training at the moment – and hopefully he can get that."