Newcastle Close to £40m Move for Villa Midfielder Jacob Ramsey

Newcastle United are on the brink of completing a £40m deal for Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, with an agreement in principle now in place. Only final details remain before the 24-year-old undergoes a medical and finalises his switch to St James’ Park, Sport360NG reports.

Ramsey, a former England Under-21 international, has netted 17 goals in 167 appearances for Villa since making his senior debut in 2019. He was a key figure in Unai Emery’s squad last season and is expected to add depth to Newcastle’s midfield following Sean Longstaff’s departure.

The Magpies have been active in recent days, securing permanent deals for winger Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest and AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw. England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also arrived earlier this month on a season-long loan from Southampton.

For Villa, the move is as much about financial realities as footballing decisions. With profit and sustainability regulations to navigate, the club is capitalising on the sale of a homegrown player to generate pure profit. Similar circumstances led to the sale of Douglas Luiz last year.

While Emery would have preferred to keep Ramsey, the financial landscape has forced pragmatism. Villa have already brought in striker Evann Guessand from Nice and may pursue further reinforcements, including a possible return for Marco Asensio after his loan spell last season.

Newcastle, meanwhile, kick off their Premier League campaign against Villa at Villa Park on Saturday at 12:30 BST, in what could be Ramsey’s first meeting with his former club in black and white.