Newcastle's Pursuit of Amar Dedic: Transfer Fee Negotiations

Newcastle’s chase for Amar Dedic is moving quickly – and now it’s down to the numbers.

Reports in Bosnia and Portugal say the Benfica full-back has agreed personal terms with Newcastle United ahead of a proposed move to St James’ Park, with only the transfer fee left on the table.

Midhat Sljivak of SportSport claims the 23-year-old “has already agreed to the transfer” and that talks are now focused solely on the compensation Benfica will receive. The structure is clear. The gap is not huge. But Newcastle have drawn a hard line.

Fee stand-off, but a clear ceiling

Benfica are said to be demanding around €33 million (£29 million) for Dedic. Newcastle’s stance is more restrained: they plan to open at €25 million (£22 million) and are prepared to climb only as far as €30 million (£26 million).

“The maximum offer for Dedic will be €30 million,” Sljivak reported, adding that Newcastle’s message to Benfica is blunt: “We don’t want to give a cent more.”

So the deal now lives in that narrow corridor between €30m and €33m. One side wants to squeeze the last few million out. The other insists it won’t budge. Something has to give.

SportSport, though, expects a breakthrough. Sljivak reports that Benfica are ready to sanction the Bosnia international’s departure quickly, suggesting there “will be no problems in the agreement” and that Dedic “should go to Newcastle very soon.”

Why Newcastle are pushing

The urgency is obvious to anyone who watched Newcastle’s 3-1 pre-season defeat to Everton on Wednesday.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh confirmed Dedic as a concrete Newcastle target after that game, underlining just how thin Eddie Howe’s options are at full-back. “Newcastle desperately need to sign (at least) one, and Dedic is a target,” Waugh wrote.

Dedic is primarily a right-back, but he can operate on both flanks – a crucial trait for a squad stretched by injuries and uncertainty. He also knows head coach Matthias Jaissle well from their time together at Red Bull Salzburg, a connection that should smooth his adaptation and allow Newcastle to plug him straight into a demanding tactical setup.

At the moment, that flexibility feels priceless.

Lewis Hall has only just returned from injury and, according to the report, could yet push for a move to Manchester United. Tino Livramento is still sidelined and racing against time to be fit for the Premier League opener against Liverpool. The depth chart at full-back is a problem, not a puzzle.

Dedic, at 23, offers immediate help and long-term value. That combination is exactly why Newcastle are pushing the deal so hard.

One final hurdle

So the situation is stark. Personal terms: agreed. Player: keen. Selling club: open to a sale. Buying club: desperate for reinforcement. The only obstacle is a three-million-euro disagreement over price.

Newcastle insist they will not go past €30m. Benfica want €33m. With the season closing in and the right-back market thin at the top end, the next move in this negotiation will say plenty about how far Newcastle are willing to go to fix a problem they can no longer ignore.