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Atlanta United president Darren Eales has opened up on the “hard” negotiations between his club and Newcastle for Miguel Almiron .

Both Uniteds were in talks from December about the forward but it took until the final hours of the January transfer window for the move to be confirmed.

Eales says the MLS side stood firm on their valuation and he was unsure that Mike Ashley would sanction the deal “given his track record”. But in the end, he says, both sides have emerged winners in the deal.

Newcastle are understood to have made a down payment of around £16million on Almiron, which will rise to a record fee if they stay up and Almiron features regularly.

Eales said: “We were always pretty firm about the figure we wanted. We knew there was an interest at that level but I’d say I was sceptical, given his track record, that we would get to a figure that was acceptable.

“But to be fair to Newcastle, in the end it was a good hard negotiation.

“Clearly, Rafa wanted the player and they had done their homework. He was someone they had thought about. They had done their due diligence and thought ‘okay, we’re going to push the button on this one’.

“It was important for Miggy because it was his dream. It was important for the league, too, for that type of number. It is by far and away the record transfer fee for MLS. I think we have helped to set the table for future transfers.”

Shearer wishes Almiron good luck

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And Eales feels that Newcastle have signed a superstar in the making.

The British-born administrator was at Spurs when Gareth Bale was at White Hart Lane and says that he can see the similarities between the two players.

“He’s an unbelievable person as a character. He smiles all the time. From that perspective of engaging with the fans he was an instant fan favourite because of his demeanour.

“In terms of his playing on the pitch, he is non-stop, perpetual motion. He is faster with the ball than without it. He reminds me very much of Gareth Bale that way.

“When Gareth picked the ball up, he always seemed to be quicker when he had the ball and Miggy is like that with his pace.

“But the big thing for him and why I think he is really suited for the Premier League is, yes he is a brilliantly exciting attacking player, particularly in transition but he works really hard in defending.

“For us as a club, to have our star player be the first person tackling back, and run 60 yards back to nick it out of touch, was great.

“So, going to Newcastle - and this was the chat we had - he is going to fit in straight away because Newcastle fans want a player who is going to wear his heart on his sleeve, and who is there doing the dirty stuff just as much as the attacking stuff.

“In Miggy they get the best of both. They get a hard-working guy who’s going to be spending every bit of energy he’s got for the fans but he’s also got that touch of class where he’s going to take your breath away as he carries the ball.

“I think he’s going to be really successful.”