One of Europe’s most promising young forwards has joined Newcastle United as they sign Belgian striker Matias Fernandez-Pardo for Lille. The 21-year-old has extended a provisional deal with Premier League club Newcastle and will move together with the club into the new season, becoming club’s eighth first team signing this summer.
Newcastle have spent a huge sum of money on the transfer, with British media quoting no less than £51.4m – and French media suggesting no less than €65m if the transfer is guaranteed. When Newcastle announced the deal it didn’t reveal the specifics of the monetary details.
Fernandez-Pardo comes off the back of a sterling campaign with Lille. He made an impact during the 2025/26 season of Ligue 1, helping Lille to finish third and qualify for the Champions League, scoring eight goals in 29 appearances. Over the course of his two seasons at Lille, he played a total of 71 games and scored 12 goals over all competitions.
Fernandez-Pardo was born in Brussels, and grew up through Anderlecht’s and Mechelen’s juveniles before joining Lille’s development team. After a senior debut in Gent, he joined Lille in 2024. He developed relatively quickly and made his Champions League and Europa League on the way to Belgium’s international debut.
Newcastle have championed his ability to operate in several attacking roles and feels he can help add a different dimension to his attack. The forward can play in the middle or on the wings and is a fleet, fast and hard worker. Technical ability, explosiveness and attacking the defender are other features that coach Matthias Jaissle has outlined.
Fernandez-Pardo has embraced the development and views Newcastle’s aspiration and attack style as a reason why it was a simple choice in his career. He started the Premier League season in a new identity as 20 which invokes boundless optimism over his potential.
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