MOHAMMED Salisu was reportedly the subject of a £40million transfer agreement between Newcastle and Saints but new owners Sport Republic are said to have pulled the plug when they took over the club.

Reports in the closing stages of the January window had linked the Magpies to an interest in the 22-year-old defender but it was described as a non-starter.

The Ghanaian centre-back has been one of Saints’ top performers this season, including earning national plaudits for his performance in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City last time out in the Premier League.

Under previous owner Gao Jisheng, Saints had become accustomed to their best players making transfer exits when the incoming money was too good to turn down.

Now, 90min’s northern-based transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey, is reporting that Newcastle saw a deal for Salisu fall through because of the change of ownership.

They detail that their sources confirmed Salisu was a target picked out early by Newcastle’s new owners of their own, back in late 2021.

They added that a deal had been progressing with talks summarised by a £40million transfer including add-ons and bonuses.

Continuing, Bailey writes that Eddie Howe’s side were hopeful of completing the move early in January but Sport Republic wasted no time in cancelling it altogether.

Sport Republic, supported by lead investor Dragan Solak, hope to give Saints more opportunities to hold onto their best players who, in the past, may have left the club.

Solak, Henrik Kraft and Rasmus Ankersen completed their acquisition of the St Mary's outfit on January 4.

Ralph Hasenhuttl also said that the investment firm may also allow them to act quicker on transfer targets of their own, although that did not come to fruition in the recent January window.

A reported return of £40million on Salisu would have been just under a 400% profit on his acquisition from Spanish side Real Valladolid in summer 2020.