Newcastle have a long-standing interest in Belgian international Dennis Praet, but it is Arsenal who look likely to bring the midfielder to the Premier League.
The Magpies were said to have bid £17.5 million for Praet in the summer of 2017, and fans were excited at the prospect of the creative talent coming to Tyneside.
But he also did not rule out a move to England, when he added: “I’ve never played in the Premier League but I’d be happy to go there one day.”
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Emery is hoping to land both Praet and Joachim Andersen from Sampdoria, and has reportedly made a move for them with an initial £37m, although Sampdoria are holding out for £44m.
Italian website, Calciomercato, claim that Praet is valued at €25m (£22m), and at such a price, Newcastle should still show an interest.
Newcastle should be battling top teams for players like Praet
It would be difficult to compete with the lure of the Capital, but we should at least be trying.
Of course, it is much of an irrelevance as long as the manager’s situation is up in the air.
But the long interest we have had in a player that could make a massive difference to the side, should have Newcastle sniffing.
His valuation seems to be in the same range as it was when we last bid, which means he could still be affordable – even without a takeover.
However, we could have already had the player here, had Lee Charnley offered anything near that asking price in 2017. But – as ever – he bid £5m below that, which had many fans thinking it was just a token effort.
Certainly Newcastle need to start pressing ahead with their recruitment plans, and that starts with sorting the managerial situation out, one way or the other.