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John Barnes has warned that elite players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will not want to sign for Newcastle United this summer.
The former Newcastle winger feels that the Magpies should be more realistic in the transfer market as they are set to finish in the bottom half of the table this season.
Newcastle was taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and are now possibly the richest club in the world. They have a strong war chest to invest money on Europe's best players this summer.
Newcastle were in relegation danger in the first half of the season but have now pulled away from the threat. This was largely due to an excellent January transfer window where they signed four new players, including Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes.
However, the Magpies also failed to land several high-profile targets, including Lille defender Sven Botman. Barnes feels that the club should manage their transfer expectations better going into the summer martet.
The former England winger told BonusCodesBets, as per The Chronicle:
“Newcastle have to walk before they can run. They’re not going to be signing the best players in the world suddenly because there are bigger clubs than Newcastle. Newcastle can’t spend more money than Liverpool or pay higher salaries. They have the money, but they’re not allowed to spend it."
He added:
“The idea of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a Newcastle shirt is wrong, because if any of the top players in the world become available, they’ll still go to Liverpool, Manchester City, PSG or Manchester United, before Newcastle."
He further said:
“They must grow slowly, get better players, and in two or three years, when they show they’re competing, that’s when they can move for the big players. Next year they should look to push into the top 10, and in a few years, they can look for Europe. It won’t happen overnight.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi enduring difficult seasons at new clubs
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both joined new clubs last summer. They are not enjoying the greatest individual seasons.
Lionel Messi has scored only three Ligue 1 goals in France in 20 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. He was even booed by the home fans after their Champions League exit against Real Madrid in March.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United where he has scored 12 goals in 25 Premier League games for the Red Devils. However, his team have suffered and are currently seventh in the league standings.
Both players have another year left on their respective current deals.
