Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron flew to England on Tuesday as a move to Newcastle nears completion, according to ESPN FC sources.
Almiron, 24, has been a target of the Premier League club and the sources say the terms of the deal are nearly agreed, while adding it’s not over the line yet.
The fee couldn’t be confirmed, but multiple reports suggest it is in the neighborhood of $27 million, which would be the highest transfer amount in MLS history and a record outlay for Newcastle as well.
The Paraguay international appeared to confirm his departure on Tuesday on his Instagram account, writing: “Thanks Atlanta for all the affection. I love you so much.”
Almiron was a key cog as Atlanta won MLS Cup last season, and he finished second behind teammate Josef Martinez in the MVP balloting.
Almiron had 21 goals and 28 assists in 62 games over two seasons with the club. He had 12 goals and 14 assists in 32 matches in 2018, when he made $2.297 million, according to the MLS Players Association salary database.
Atlanta United were looking to move Almiron because they currently have four Designated Players — a classification for players making more than $530,000 — after signing South American Footballer of the Year Pity Martinez last week. MLS rules allow for just three Designated Players on a team.
Josef Martinez and midfielder Ezequiel Barco are Atlanta United’s other Designated Players.
Information from Reuters was used in this story.