Chelsea demand £30m for Lewis Hall with Newcastle circling

Chelsea have put highly-rated academy graduate Lewis Hall up for sale and are demanding at least £30 million to sanction a deal, the Telegraph reports.

The 18-year-old, who has agreed to sign a new six-year deal with the Blues, was expected to travel across the capital to complete a loan move to Crystal Palace.

However, that deal has stalled, opening the door for Newcastle United to try and hijack the transfer – although on similar temporary terms.

After sanctioning Jamal Lewis’ loan switch to Watford, Magpies manager Eddie Howe is keen to reinforce that position this summer, and Hall has emerged as a primary target.

Despite being a natural midfielder, the youngster excelled in the full-back role for Chelsea towards the end of the last campaign, and he is expected to continue in the same terrain moving forward.

The free-spending Blues have splashed around £900m on transfers over the last three windows while breaking the British record twice in the last eight months.

Telegraph claims the spending spree has caught up with the two-time Champions League winners, who are now being pressured to generate funds through player sales.

There are still a couple of players Chelsea intends to move on before the transfer window closes in just over two weeks, including Romelu Lukaku, Callum Husdon-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech.

Ziyech already has an agreement in principle to join Turkish giants Galatasaray, although the Blues are holding their breath on his medical, considering the previous fiasco regarding a move to the Saudi Pro League.

However, Chelsea are willing to sell Hall permanently if they receive a bid of around £30m and are also open to a potential loan with an obligation to buy.

Newcastle’s finances are currently under the microscope with Financial Fair Play lurking, so they cannot sanction another acquisition without a high-profile departure.

A loan seems their only viable avenue to wrap up the deal – although it remains to be seen if Chelsea are open to selling a player who has proven himself capable of performing at a high level.