Newcastle agree £51.4m deal for Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo... paving the way for Nick Woltemade to join Juventus for £3.5m loan fee

Newcastle expect to complete the £51.4million signing of Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo in the next 24 hours.

The 21-year-old forward is scheduled to arrive on Tyneside on Monday evening to finalise his move after a fee was agreed with the Ligue 1 club.

Senior Newcastle staff are still formalising the final details, but Fernandez-Pardo is set to become their eighth signing of the summer, taking the total spend to £270m. They have brought in £245m in sales.

The Belgium international was identified as the top target to replace Anthony Gordon towards the end of last season, as revealed by Daily Mail Sport’s Newcastle Confidential on May 21.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo went to the World Cup with Belgium and is now joining Newcastle

Fernandez-Pardo later communicated that he wanted Champions League football, but that stance has changed in recent weeks and Newcastle have pushed ahead with their ambitious move.

He is seen as a player who can operate in any one of the four attacking positions used by new head coach Matthias Jaissle, including at No 10.

The arrival will now likely see the departure of Nick Woltemade. The £69m club-record signing is wanted by Juventus and they are in talks over a loan deal, which includes a £3.5m fee including bonuses but no obligation to buy. They were told by Manchester United that their preferred target Joshua Zirkzee could only leave with an obligation to buy.

Woltemade is keen to make the move and talks are heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, should Joe Willock stay at the club, he could be rewarded with a 12-month contract extension. Jacob Murphy is wanted by Nottingham Forest but Jaissle wants to keep the experienced winger given his influence in a young dressing room.