The 1997–98 season was Asprilla's last for Newcastle. With the sale of striker Les Ferdinand to Tottenham Hotspur and a serious injury to Alan Shearer during the pre-season, Asprilla was preferred as first-choice striker alongside the young, inexperienced Jon Dahl Tomasson. Newcastle's second-place league finish the season before meant they qualified for the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League; Asprilla started the first game against Barcelona and scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win. These would turn out to be his last goals for the club. By the end of January 1998, with Newcastle struggling in the league and eliminated from the Champions League, Asprilla's time at Newcastle came to an end. He was sold back to Parma for £6 million, having scored a total of 9 goals in 48 Premier League appearances and 9 goals in 11 European matches.