Miguel Almirón on verge of return to Atlanta after leaving Newcastle

Miguel Almirón has left Newcastle and is bound for the US to sign for his former club Atlanta for a fee of around £9.5m.

The Paraguay winger has agreed personal terms and subject to a medical will sign for the team he left six years ago. Newcastle’s then manager, Rafael Benítez, was delighted to acquire Almirón for £21m in 2019 and his time on Tyneside has largely been successful.

The 30-year-old attacking midfielder has slipped out of favour this season, starting only one Premier League game for Eddie Howe’s side, but proved an integral part of the team that secured Champions League qualification during the 2022-23 season. Almirón made 223 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 30 goals. On Saturday he stepped off the substitutes’ bench at St Mary’s to make a poignant farewell appearance in black and white stripes in the 3-1 win against Southampton.

Last season Almirón attracted interest from Charlotte, another MLS club, as well as teams in Saudi Arabia, but chose to remain in England. Now, though, the player has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal with Atlanta, making it an extremely attractive move for a player whose contract at Newcastle was due to run until June 2026.

Howe primarily deployed Almirón on the right wing and will be sad to see a popular member of his dressing room depart from a squad lacking strength in attacking depth. Although the club’s recruitment team have been busy scouting right wingers – with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo among those repeatedly watched – it is thought that the need to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) dictates the St James’ Park board are unlikely to sanction any significant transfer market investments until summer.

With Harvey Barnes sidelined by injury for the next fortnight, Almirón’s exit leaves Howe with only two fit specialist senior wingers in Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon.