Are Newcastle Interested in Bilal El Khannouss?
Newcastle United were interested in Bilal El Khannouss during the summer, and a reported drop in VfB Stuttgart’s asking price could put the Moroccan midfielder back on the club’s radar.
The 22-year-old was linked with Newcastle towards the end of the summer transfer window. Sky Germany reported at the time that contact had been made with the player’s representatives, although the clubs had not entered concrete negotiations.
A fresh report, citing Sky Germany, suggests Stuttgart could consider offers of around €40 million, including add-ons, for El Khannouss. Galatasaray are said to remain interested, but there is no confirmed new approach from Newcastle.
Why Didn’t Newcastle Sign El Khannouss in the Summer?
Newcastle explored a move, but an agreement was not reached.
Stuttgart’s valuation was reported to be substantially higher than the latest figure, while German magazine Kicker also reported that El Khannouss was not convinced Newcastle was the right next step for his development.
Newcastle were also interested in Fernandez-Pardo and when it became clear that there might be an opportunity to sign him the rumour was that Jaissle not only preferred him to El Knannouss but wanted him as the main ST and not as a 10.
El Khannouss joined Stuttgart on loan from Leicester in 2025 before making the move permanent.
The attacking midfielder scored nine goals and provided seven assists in 41 appearances for the German club in his first season.
The reported lower price could make him a more attractive option, but it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will revive their interest in January.
Another midfield player we tracked during the summer, Coventry's Jack Rudoni, is also reported to be back on Newcastle's radar for a possible January signing with him having only 15 months left on his contract.
With most fans feeling that we don't have a natural 10 for Jaissle's 423, and Pardo not impressing as the main ST, it calls into question again whether our summer transfer strategy was effectively planned.
My view is that before spending c£40M on a 10 when another ST or CB might be the priority we should give Pardo a run in the 10 role between now and January.
What do you think? Comments below.
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Adam answered yo re Woltemade/Wood on Wood article
Hi I’m getting really confused here. In the summer it was widely reported ( by the local guys who put out what the club want them to do that to sign Pardo we had to get Woltemade out to comply with SCR.
Now according to press we are going in a spending spree. The worst thing we could do now is waste more money on players that at best are a short term mid table fix just because they are the cheep/ available option