Manchester City ready to pay £65 million for Newcastle United star | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City would be ready to spend £65 million to sign Newcastle’s Tino Livramento this summer, but face an uphill task for the player’s signature.

City’s pursuit of a new full-back this summer has become a growing priority among officials, particularly on the right side of defence in light of Kyle Walker’s permanent exit to Burnley and the freeing up of the veteran defender’s salary package.

While Pep Guardiola has turned to alternative solutions such as Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis in the past season, the long-term profile of a dynamic, ball-carrying full-back remains high on the recruitment agenda.

Manchester City’s right-back options have been largely makeshift since the departure of João Cancelo on loan and then permanently to Al Hilal, and Livramento – at just 22 – offers a player not only capable of contributing immediately but also with significant development potential.

The former Southampton star returned strongly from a serious ACL injury that kept him out for the majority of 2022, and impressed in his debut campaign at Newcastle United with a string of performances that showcased his maturity, positional flexibility, and ability to operate in either full-back role.

However, according to the exclusive information of The Times’ Martin Hardy, Newcastle will now offer to make Tino Livramento one of the club’s top earners on a potential six-year deal in an attempt to fight off interest from Manchester City this summer.

Livramento remains contracted in the North-East until the summer of 2028, but is said to remain a transfer target for City with manager Pep Guardiola a ‘big fan’ of the versatile 22-year-old full-back.

Such is the level of interest from City that Etihad bosses are now prepared to pay £65 million for the England defender, but Newcastle are eager to cut off speculation through a new long-term deal, with the player keen to improve the terms he agreed when he first arrived in 2023.

Despite City’s willingness to pay a premium, Newcastle’s resolve may prove too strong to break this summer. Financially, the Magpies are not in a position where they are forced to sell key assets, and with UEFA Champions League ambitions of their own, retaining Livramento is viewed as a strategic priority at St James’ Park.

From Manchester City’s perspective, Livramento may only be one of several full-backs being monitored, and should a deal prove unworkable with Newcastle, Etihad officials could yet pivot to other targets before the close of the window.

However, the level of interest in Tino Livramento suggests the club are intent on adding elite-level depth in the full-back areas before the new campaign begins. Whether this develops into a protracted transfer saga or is resolved quickly may hinge on how swiftly Newcastle can convince Livramento to commit to fresh terms.