Newcastle agree £55m deal for Brentford's Wissa

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The cost includes an upfront fee of £50 million, along with £5 million in potential add-ons, and the international player from DR Congo is en route to Newcastle to finalize the details of his transfer.

Brentford had turned down two earlier offers from the Magpies for Wissa this summer.

This development follows Liverpool's agreement on a British transfer record fee of £125 million to acquire Newcastle forward Alexander Isak.

Eddie Howe, the manager of the Magpies, is eager to bolster his attacking options, despite having secured the club record signing of striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart on a six-year contract just last week.

On Sunday, Wissa, 28, released a statement affirming his desire to leave while accusing Brentford of "unfairly obstructing" his transfer to Newcastle.

In his Instagram statement, Wissa expressed: "I have remained quiet for much of the summer, but as the transfer window nears its end, I feel it is necessary to state that I wish to depart from Brentford. I believe the club is unjustly hindering my exit despite several legitimate offers received throughout the summer."

On Monday, Brentford and Newcastle reopened discussions in a bid to finalize the transfer before the 19:00 BST cutoff.

Earlier in the window, the Bees sold forward Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United for an initial fee of £65 million.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has also moved to Bayer Leverkusen for £8 million, while midfielder Christian Norgaard transferred to Arsenal for £15 million.

Last month, Brentford accomplished a club record transfer of potentially up to £42.5 million for forward Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth.

Another target for Newcastle, Jorgen Strand Larsen, is anticipated to stay at Wolves.

Although the Magpies were an appealing choice for the Norwegian striker, Wolves remained steadfast, turning down offers of £50 million and £55 million.

Vitor Pereira's team has lost their first three Premier League matches but is expected to complete the signing of Genk striker Tolu Arokodare for £24 million to support Strand Larsen, who netted 14 goals in the top division last season.

Analysis of the Wissa deal indicates a "shift" in transfer approach.

Newcastle has already shattered their transfer record with the signing of Woltemade.

However, the club urgently needs an additional forward to distribute the pressure on the newcomer, who has yet to play outside of Germany.

Thus, it is no coincidence that Newcastle has pursued a proven Premier League player like Wissa.

In reality, Newcastle has not abandoned its efforts.

Instead of backing down after two prior offers were declined, they returned to negotiations in the closing stages of the transfer window.

This marks a change in transfer strategy.

Newcastle has not brought in an outfield player aged 26 or older in over three years, yet it is noteworthy that an exception appears to be in the works for Wissa, who is set to turn 29 on Wednesday.

However, Wissa is regarded as a late bloomer rather than a player on the verge of retirement.

For perspective, in 2020, Wissa was competing in the French second division, but his continuous improvement has been significant enough for him to score more non-penalty goals (19) than any other Premier League player last season.

Wissa's natural instincts in the penalty area, combined with his impressive fitness level and capacity to adapt, make him an appealing option for Newcastle, who managed to have just one player reach double-digit goals last season.

That player was, without a doubt, Isak, who is about to finalize a record-breaking transfer to Liverpool.

If a deal is reached with Brentford, it may be Wissa's responsibility to help cover the gap left by the Swedish striker.