Newcastle United's summer strategy concerning Watford deal revealed | OneFootball

Newcastle United are keen to push through a permanent Watford move for defender Jamal Lewis as the club look to cut costs in a bid to avoid falling foul of Financial Fair Play (FFP), according to The Chronicle.

Lewis joined Watford on a season-long loan in July 2023 and the Hornets have an option to buy the 26-year-old. Newcastle will look to push that deal through in the summer with Lewis having just one year left on his deal at St James' Park.

If Watford were to snub the offer of signing the Northern Irish international on a permanent basis, Newcastle would transfer list the player in the hope of getting his £40,000 a week wages of their wage bill.

Jamal Lewis is one of four players set to exit St James' Park

The Magpies are said to be looking to shave £840,000 a month off their wage bill by offloading players who no longer have a long-term future at the club.

The club have a number of players on big wages who no longer feature for the first team and have spent time on loan over the past couple of seasons.

Under Mike Ashley's regime, players who were regulars at the time signed long-term deals with the club, meaning that they are still under contract, but they are now no longer wanted at the club.

Jamal Lewis, Jeff Hendrick, Ryan Fraser and Issac Hayden are all set to depart in the summer, with all of them bar Hendrick still under contract past the summer of 2024.

This means that Lewis, Fraser and Hayden may be available to Championship clubs for cut-price deals, and they are all currently on loan in the Championship with Watford, Southampton and QPR respectively.

This will surely pique the interest of Championship clubs, and they'll be keeping an eye on how the trio perform during the remaining couple of months of the season.

Jamal Lewis' 2023/24 season at Watford

Lewis has played 29 times in all competitions for the Hornets, and has cemented his position as the club's first choice left-back this season.

It's been a disappointing campaign for the club, and they find themselves in lower mid-table, so it remains to be seen whether they look to sign Lewis on a permanent basis in the summer or whether they look to upgrade on the player.

According to Fotmob, Lewis has registered 1 assist from an expected assist rate of 1.59, and his stats are average for a Championship player in his position.

He has an 82.8% passing accuracy, created 22 chances, made 14 successful crosses, had 14 successful dribbles, won 39 tackles, and made 115 recoveries.

Whilst Lewis hasn't set the world alight, he's been a solid addition to Valérien Ismaël's side and at 26 years old, he still has plenty of good years in front of him yet.

This is the first season that Lewis has played regular football since 2020/21, so it was inevitable that it would take him a while to get back up to speed.

The Northern Irish man has ten games to prove to Watford that he's worth a permanent transfer and Newcastle United will be hoping he impresses as they look to move him on in the summer.