Newcastle only failed to sign Luuk de Jong because they could not agree a deal with former club FC Twente, according to his agent.
Gladbach showed greater desire than Newcastle in pursuit of Dutchman
Newcastle United only failed to sign Luuk de Jong because they could not agree a deal with former club FC Twente, according to the Dutch striker's agent.
The 21-year-old was also a target of Liverpool, his representative claims, but he chose to join German club Borussia Monchengladbach.
Newcastle were understood to have cooled their pursuit of De Jong before his move to Monchengladbach, who will play in the UEFA Champions League, but there was intent.
"There were a lot of clubs interested in Luuk," his agent, Louis Laros told
Sky Sports. "Liverpool showed interest and also Newcastle were very interested in signing him.
Trust
"But everything happens so quickly in football and in the end Gladbach showed the stronger desire to sign him whilst Newcastle were not able to come to an agreement with Twente.
"Luuk was a regular starter at Twente, so one of his priorities for a transfer was to play at a club where he would be able to continue his development as a footballer.
"Gladbach were able to assure him that they trusted him and wanted to give him a prominent role from day one.
"The Bundesliga is very popular in The Netherlands and Gladbach is one of the biggest clubs in Germany.
"They have great facilities, a huge stadium and a very capable coach, so of course Luuk had no reservations in signing for Gladbach."
