Newcastle United are closing in on their latest summer signing, with manager Matthias Jaissle poised to be reunited with a player he knows well. The club have agreed a deal worth €35m with Benfica for Bosnian right-back Amar Dedic — a signing that fills a position Newcastle urgently needed to address.
Dedic, who turned 24 this week, has signed a five-year contract running until 2031. Benfica's original release clause stood at €50m, meaning Newcastle negotiated roughly 30% off the asking price — not bad work when you consider how quickly the deal moved.
The connection to Jaissle is the key thread here. The two worked together at Red Bull Salzburg before Dedic moved to Lisbon in July 2025 for €12m. Jaissle knows exactly what he's getting: a right-back who covers ground aggressively, reads the press well, and can contribute going forward. He made more than 25 appearances across league and Champions League qualifying during his single season at Benfica.
The timing of the move matters. Tino Livramento, Newcastle's incumbent right-back, is recovering from surgery and is unavailable for the start of the Premier League campaign. That left a position-shaped hole in the squad that Dedic fills directly.
If the transfer clears its medical and registration formalities in time, Dedic could make his Newcastle debut against Liverpool on August 23 — a fixture that would give him a very quick introduction to what Premier League football at St James' Park feels like.
For Newcastle, this is a smart piece of business. The fee is significant but the profile is right: young, already proven in European competition, and with a manager who trusts him. The Bosnian international brings something Newcastle's backline genuinely lacked going into this season.
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