Newcastle United are reportedly ready to go toe-to-toe with West Ham United to sign Nantes midfielder Ludovic Blas.
Football Transfers claim that the Magpies actually held talks to sign the 24-year-old during the January transfer window.
PIF were able to sign Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett and Dan Burn in the winter window, but we didn’t prove successful in our pursuit of Jesse Lingard, which resulted in enquiries being made for Blas.
Signing Lingard on a free transfer in the summer is likely to be high on PIFs agenda, but with interest in the England international likely to be intensifying, Newcastle could well opt to reignite interest in Blas instead.
After having Lingard on loan during the second half of last season, the Hammers are also likely to be in the running to lure Manchester United’s number 14 to the London Stadium.
It seems that Newcastle and West Ham both have their eyes set on similar transfer targets and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the race for Blas and Lingard.
The report from Football Transfers suggests that Blas will cost around €20million (£17million) with the Ligue 1 side seemingly open to selling this summer on the condition their asking price is met.
Nantes’ number 10 has ten goals and two assists to his name this season and his eye-catching performances have prompted Premier League interest.
With 30 goals and eight assists from 98 Nantes matches, Blas has the versatility to play on the flanks but he primarily plays in the number 10 role.
It could well be that the left-footer, formerly of Guingamp, is seen as an upgrade on Miguel Almiron who could move on from Tyneside in the summer as Eddie Howe and the club’s Saudi-led consortium moves into the next phase of the project.
The £17m asking price won’t deter Newcastle, it’s a drop in the ocean for the world’s richest club, but Howe will determine whether the technically-gifted Ludovic Blas fits the billing and adds to the side he’s trying to mould together at St James’ Park.
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