Aleksandar Mitrovic's Newcastle Transfer Held Up By Visa Problems... And Striker's Father

Aleksandar Mitrovic "will not be rushed" into joining Newcastle United this summer - with his father adamant the forward will take his time before deciding on his future destination. However, whatculture.com/nufc understands a further complication with the potential transfer is the fact that Mitrovic does not automatically qualify for a working visa in the United Kingdom. The Magpies are believed to have had a £12.3 million bid accepted by Anderlecht, according to Sp. Anderlecht news, with the forward's preferred club Porto only willing to stump up ‚10 million (£7.1 million) - but Mitrovic has been unable to travel to Tyneside yet. https://twitter.com/Sporting_AND/status/620472693847105536 Bizarrely, the 20-year-old's family have done so - with his brother having enjoyed a tour of St James' Park over the weekend - but both the Magpies and Mitrovic's family are concerned about pushing ahead with any deal before they have reassurances he will be granted a visa to work in the UK. Serbia is outside of the European Union and that means Mitrovic only automatically qualifies for a working visa in the United Kingdom if he has played at least 75% of his nation's competitive matches for which he was available for selection over the last two years, and that simply isn't the case. Mitrovic has featured in just five of Serbia's eight competitive internationals over the last two years - a ratio that is just about 62%. Although the likelihood is that Newcastle could appeal any visa application process and get Mitrovic signed up, the fact it could become a prolonged ordeal could put both the player and the club off doing so. What's more, Ivica Mitrovic, the forward's father, has also placed some doubt over the transfer with some comments to Belgian media. He told Het Nieuwsblad:

"There is nothing to it (yet). "To leave a big club like Anderlecht, all the pieces have to fit. "But we are not rushed. The time will come for my son."

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City have also been linked to Mitrovic, while Porto are believed to have come up short in their final offer for the forward. Mitrovic has netted 44 goals in 90 matches for Anderlecht, and has a career total of 69 strikes from 158 games. A powerful and relatively-quick forward, Mitrovic has an eye for goal and he grabbed headlines when he scored Anderlecht€™s equaliser at the Emirates Stadium last November when the Belgian side came from three goals down to draw 3-3 against Arsenal in a Champions League group-stage match. Anderlecht paid Partizan Belgrade a club-record £4 million for the 11-cap Serbia international, who started his career at Teleoptik, back in August 2013 and he has gone on to become one of Europe€™s most sought-after forwards. In 2014-15 Mitrovic bagged 28 goals in 51 matches, including 20 in 37 Belgian Pro League appearances and three in the Champions League. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.