Celta Vigo full-back Oscar Mingueza featuring in a Newcastle United kit at St James' Park.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Celta Vigo's Oscar Mingueza.Manh Tung - Breaking Media

Why multiple Newcastle stars will question their futures thanks to Oscar Mingueza transfer latest

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

16 Jun 2026, 3:30 pm

Newcastle United are once again showing interest in defensive star Oscar Mingueza, who appears set to leave Celta Vigo as a free agent.

The 27-year-old failed to agree fresh terms with the La Liga outfit ahead of his contract expiring this summer, causing alarm bells to ring over in the Premier League.

Arsenal and Aston Villa both joined the Magpies in attempting to sign the versatile full-back during the winter transfer window, with the three-way battle now re-emerging.

Eddie Howe is expected to make some key changes to the squad over the summer, or he runs the risk of infuriating an already-frustrated set of supporters at St James' Park.

What makes the manager's job even more difficult is that the club's biggest stars are being linked with big-money moves away, such as Lewis Hall, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.

After missing out on Champions League football, it is only natural for these rumours to pop up, and the name of the game will be all about keeping as many of them as possible.

Oscar Mingueza can play all over the pitch

However, with improvement desperately needed in the North East, players are bound to have their futures questions due to potential incoming replacements.

Mingueza is an extremely versatile full-back, meaning that the Magpies could already have contingency plans in place for both Hall and Tino Livramento this summer.

And having come through the Barcelona academy, the Spaniard was thrown into many different situations, including the centre-back position, where he continues to play on a rare occasion.

Although Fabian Schar has agreed new terms with Newcastle, Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn all underwhelmed during the 2025-26 campaign.

Any of the latter three could be upgraded this summer. Even more, Mingueza has previously played in the centre of midfield.

Knowing Howe's desire to change players' positions, doing so with Joelinton and Nick Woltemade, those in the middle of the park could be checking over their shoulders as well.

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What should Newcastle United fans know about Mingueza?

Mingueza's versatility is certainly one of the more interesting things about the player, often flying under the radar for how talented he is on the pitch.

He has notched seven goals and 15 assists over the last three seasons for Celta Vigo, proving that he also has an eye for goal, which adds another dimension to his game.

Football also runs in the Mingueza family. His sister, Ariadna, plays for Granada, having also come through the academy at Barcelona.

Sadly for Mingueza, he was overlooked for the 2026 World Cup, being left at home rather than being given a spot on the plane, but a move to the Premier League could help to reignite his international career.

Sandro Tonali