Newcastle agree fee with Swansea for Wayne Routledge

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14104170.stm


Full Article:

Swansea City have had a bid of around £2m for Newcastle United winger Wayne Routledge accepted, BBC Sport understands.

Newcastle last week rejected the Swans' initial £1.5m offer but Swans boss Brendan Rodgers increased the offer.

"We've had a couple of bids that have gone in," said Rodgers, who is hoping to make his fourth summer signing.

"We think he would fit into our style and excite our supporters. We will wait to see if we can agree a deal."

Routledge spent the second half of last season on loan at Championship side Queens Park Rangers, where he helped them win promotion to the Premier League.

But the 26-year-old, who has two years remaining on his current Newcastle deal, has failed to agree personal terms on a permanent return to Loftus Road.

The former England Under-21 international has also been linked with a move to big-spending Championship club Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

Routledge was loaned to QPR in January - only a year after leaving Loftus Road to join Newcastle for an undisclosed fee.

He scored five goals in 20 appearances as he played a significant part in Rangers' march towards the Championship title last season.

Swansea, who beat Reading 4-2 to seal top-flight promotion in a thrilling Championship play-off in May, have already added striker Danny Graham, defender Stephen Caulker and goalkeeper Jose Moreira to his squad.

Rodgers is a long-time admirer of Routledge and the Swansea manager has admitted he wants to add a winger, another striker, a goalkeeper and a central defender to his squad before the transfer window closes on 31 August.

 

Shame if this goes through, I never had a problem with Routledge and we could do with as much depth as we can get.

 

Not too sure if it has been accepted, using the same quotes as yesterday where they said an other bid had gone in...

 

Think he's a good squad player, great to come off the bench later on in a match to run at tired defenses. Not sure what Pardew has against him, he's never seemed to favour Wayne.

 

It's ok boys it will be reinvested into the squad. :/

 

Well they're using the term accepted now, I'm inclined to believe them purely because they only ever post up stuff like this when it's pretty close to completion, they rarely put up rumours.

 

Eh???? So Swansea expect us to be nice over Routledge and accept £2m, but they were ****s over Taylor? And we accept the bid??? ****ing hell.

 

I don't mind.

I like Routledge well enough but I couldn't see him getting much pitch time this season. I'd rather we use someone with potential for the future, like Sammy, as our backup rather than a player who is ok'ish and will neve be better than ok'ish

 

Maybe we'll bid for Zogs now. Just a (very optimistic) thought...

 

Routledge out
Perch out
Smith out
Xisco out

That frees up a massive amount of wages per year for a player who may actually make it onto the pitch.

 

That matters not to Mike Ashley. He'd have sold Alan Shearer to Sunderland for £250k if he'd had the chance.

 

Hold your horses, only one of them has yet to have a bid accepted for!

 

I can see the other three being on our books for a few more seasons unfortuantly.

Routledge has always had the potential to be a good prem league winger but has never seemed to fulfill it. I would be happy to keep him as cover for the right but good luck to him if he does leave.

If this goes through hopefully the Swansea chairmen will stop being a turd over Naylor.

 

Naylor signed an improved contract last week with Swansea

 

Well we have Barton & Marveaux to play on the right, Jonas & Fergie on the left and R. Taylor as back up (Ben Arfa can also go left wing and Jonas right wing) so we can afford to lose him I guess. Wouldn't mind him staying personally, as others have said he is a useful alternative and if we are to go on a couple of cup runs he's shown he can tear it up against lesser sides.

 

Ah right, I can't wait to see James Perch filling in at LB again

 

Iv always thought routledge has potential but now hes at that age when he is in his prime and hes not much better than he was 5 years ago. Its a shame because he has incredible pace and looks dangerous on the ball, he is amazing at times at championship level and seems like a nice lad too, 2m seems cheap but obviously we must be desperate to get rid.

 

I can be quite impatient at times but Perch seems to have a very calming effect on me

 

We should be loaning Perch out, somewhere like Brighton, where he can get some nice sea air in his gills.

 

Exactly what I thought, maybe this will mean the Naylor bid will suddenly be accepted?

EDIT: No it won't, he's signed a new contract. Although so did Andy Carroll...