Bundesliga flop set for shock Champions League move with English giants

Milan Keskin

• 12 Dec 2023 07:32 CST
• 3 min read

Brian Brobbey has appeared on Newcastle United's radar, according to a report.

After a dire start to the season, the Ajax striker is having an excellent run of form and has played a major role in the resurgence of the crisis-stricken Amsterdam team in the Eredivisie.

Newcastle United will have to pay a hefty price if they want to pry Brobbey from the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Data from FootballTransfers shows that the attacker, who still has a contract until 2027, has an Estimated Transfer Value of €18.3 million, though Ajax will certainly demand a lot more for a mid-season deal.

With three goals and assists in the last five league games, Brobbey is the man in form at Ajax at the moment. With his exploits, the 21-year-old striker has been vital to his club, who have risen from 18th place to 5th in the Eredivisie in just a few weeks.

The performances of both Ajax and Brobbey in recent weeks have also been noticed abroad, where the Amsterdammer has been monitored by Premier League clubs for some time.

Brobbey to Newcastle?

Newcastle United currently seem to hold the most concrete interest in the striker, according to Ekrem Konur.

Brobbey returned from a failed adventure at RB Leipzig in 2022 and has continued to divide opinions in the Eredivisie due to his frequent squandering of big chances, something that could prove an issue in the Premier League as well.

The Magpies already have two centre-forwards in Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, though it is not inconceivable that either will depart in 2024. Isak is reportedly attracting attention from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, while Wilson is on the wrong side of 30.

Brobbey could possibly be active in the Champions League after the winter break if he leaves for Newcastle. Eddie Howe's team are currently third in the group with Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. If Newcastle beat Milan on Wednesday, they still have a chance of surviving the group stage.

However, it is still unclear how much Ajax will demand for Brobbey. Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf thinks that Brobbey will bring in more for Ajax than Chelsea and Real Madrid target Santiago Giménez for Feyenoord.

In the summer of 2022, Ajax paid €16.35m plus a potential €3m in bonuses to Leipzig for Brobbey's services. “Back then everyone thought it was a shame that they let him go for free and brought him back for such an amount,” Verweij remembers.

“But they will soon sell him for €50m, €60m. I'm willing to bet on this, that he will leave for more money than Giménez.”