Newcastle United have signed midfielder, Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille for an initial £51.4m.
Fernandez-Pardo’s move comes after a successful two seasons with Lille in which he scored 12 goals in 71 appearances, which led Newcastle to negotiate a £51.4m fixed transfer fee plus further £3.6m in add-ons to take the total fee to £55m if the performance-related clauses are met successfully.
The 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract at St James’ Park until June 2031 and is excited to have the chance to represent an English giant and play under Matthias Jaissle, having been given the number 20 shirt for this season.
“I’m really, really happy to be here and very proud to be at such a big club.
“I spoke to the head coach and he really showed how much he wanted me to be here. In terms of my own career progression, it made complete sense to come so I didn’t hesitate at all.
“I know the club, I know about the stadium, I know it’s a fantastic atmosphere. I’ve followed the team. What I’ve seen is a team that’s very ambitious, wants to attack, get forward, really chase teams and go after them, and that’s really something I want to take part in as well.
“I’m still young, I’m still hungry, and that’s why I’m here, and I want to make that progress with Newcastle. I can’t wait to start the wonderful adventure here.”
Jaissle added: “I am very happy to welcome Matias to our club. We were all delighted when we knew we could complete this deal.
“Matias is a highly technical player with explosiveness in his game. He can score and assist, he has courage, and he has the ability to take players on. We’re sure our supporters will enjoy watching him play.
“He has already shown in Lille that he can perform on the big stage, and we will work closely with him to keep developing his game further. We are excited to see him in a Newcastle United shirt.”
Fernandez-Pardo began his career at Anderlecht in their youth academy which was followed by with Mechelen, Lille then Gent’s youth academies, before he made his professional debut with Gent in March 2023 in the first of two appearances in the 2022-23 season.
He then went on to net 10 goals in 26 appearances across the following two seasons before he re-joined Lille in August 2024.
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