Southampton are expected to demand a fee close to £50m for Newcastle target Tino Livramento, according to The Athletic.

The fullback’s previous club Chelsea have a sell-on clause which means the Blues will take a significant percentage from the player’s sale.

With the Saints keen to receive £30m from any deal, and with 40% going to Chelsea, it means that Newcastle will have to pay around the £50m mark to match Livramento’s actual asking price.

The Athletic report that Eddie Howe’s side are only willing to go as high as £30m, which would leave Southampton with only £18m, so there is a sizeable gulf between the two parties at the moment.

A swap deal has been suggested

Reports in the local media have claimed that Newcastle could offer up Ryan Fraser as a way to make up the difference but that is unlikely to satisfy the Saints.

Any attempt to reduce the upfront fee by including players is expected to be rejected due to the onerous sell-on clause.

Are Newcastle considering alternatives?

The only other right-back of note that the Magpies have been credited with an interest recently is RB Leipzig’s Mohamed Simakan.

It was reported earlier this month that both Newcastle and Arsenal have been keeping tabs on the Frenchman after a strong season in the Bundesliga. Considering he can also play centre-back too, he could be a solution if Howe wants to strengthen both positions at the same time.

For the time being, it appears as of Newcastle will remain in negotiations with Southampton to see whether a compromise can be reached on Livramento. Demanding £50m for a player in the Championship is quite a stunning negotiating position to take, and you would hope that some common sense will prevail and the Saints will lower their demands to a more reasonable price.