Eddie Howe has admitted he does not want to lose Miguel Almiron.
Heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, Almiron has been at the centre of Al-Shabab’s transfer plans.
However, despite the speculation, the Paraguay international is believed to have rejected the chance to move to the Middle East — much to his manager’s relief.
“Miggy is genuinely ill. He’s been so important for us,” he told reporters ahead of Newcastle’s game against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
“This year, he’s worked incredibly hard, and he’s been reliable for us. He’s always been fit. He hasn’t missed many games, and that’s been vitally important for us when we’ve had so many injuries to our attacking players.
“Of course, I’d like to keep him.”
And going on to discuss the winger’s chances of playing against the Villians, Howe added: “We hope Miggy will be with us.
“Jamaal [Lascelles] I’m not so sure about, it’s not a serious injury but it might be enough to keep him out of this game.
“We’ll wait and see, maybe he’ll be close but we certainly hope to have Miggy with us.”