Danny Mills is not convinced about potential Newcastle transfer Miguel Almiron, after the MLS star was said to be on his way for a medical ahead of a possible club record transfer, saying he was “very much an unknown”.

Talking on BBC 5 Live, he said that Almiron is not “that stellar signing” that fans would want.

“I’ve never really heard of him, in all honesty,” Mills added. “It’s not a signing that makes you go, ‘Oh wow, this is inspiring.

“It may be a record signing but it’s not that stellar signing who you know is going to score goals. He is very much an unknown. He might take time to settle as well.”

"I've never really heard of him, in all honesty. It's not a signing that makes you go 'Oh wow, this is inspiring." Danny Mills is sceptical about #NUFC's potential record signing Miguel Almiron. ????: https://t.co/0kUniX6SeW

????: https://t.co/010e9WLAdc #NEWMCI pic.twitter.com/ufBoNSQQto — BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) January 29, 2019

OPINION

Oh, Danny. You wonder sometimes how pundits get and keep their jobs. It’s Mills’ job to know about players and Almiron can’t be called an unknown. He scored 13 goals and added 13 assists in the MLS this season and Newcastle have been chasing him as their number one target all January. Almiron is also a 13-time Paraguay international, which suggests that Mills needs to get out a bit more. This is about as good a deal as you can hope for if you’re a Newcastle fans and the reported fee of £20.5million finally breaks the 2005 record fee paid for Michael Owen. That was starting to feel like an embarrassment for Newcastle and they’ll be very glad to get that unwanted record off their backs. Of course, Almiron is an unknown when it comes to the Premier League, but any foreign player is. And it doesn’t matter how much money you pay for them – if they don’t work, they don’t work. Just look at Alvaro Morata at Chelsea. We think Almiron could be a brilliant player and could be exactly what Newcastle need to secure their Premier League status.