Newcastle United may have to break their transfer record to sign Moussa Diaby. However, that is reportedly something the club are willing to do.
The Bayer Leverkusen winger has been linked with the Magpies throughout 2022, but speculation has intensified over the past month.
L’Equipe reported that a Newcastle bid was on the horizon, while the Northern Echo claimed that Toon officials were increasingly confident about signing the 22-year-old.
That confidence initially seemed to be misplaced, with reports stating that Newcastle had moved away from Diaby after hearing his asking price. The Telegraph claim that Leverkusen want £60million for the France international.
Newcastle want to ‘push the boat out’ on Moussa Diaby
News of Eddie Howe’s side moving away from Diaby was disappointing. He’s an incredible player who would add goals and assists to our forward line. That’s exactly what he did in Germany last season, providing 25 goal contributions in the Bundesliga.
And there’s still a chance he could be a Premier League player next season. That’s according to Give Me Sport’s Dean Jones, who believes Newcastle are still in the mix for Diaby.
“They do definitely want him and would like to push the boat out too,” Jones said.
“But even though they’d be willing to pay £50million for him, they just can’t make any breakthrough at the moment.”
Toon must spend big to land a player like Diaby
Newcastle must be willing to break their transfer record if they want to sign someone like Diaby or move on to a lesser target. There’s no way he’d command a fee any less than £40million.
He would certainly be worth it. He’s becoming a France regular, which is not easy given their wealth of talent. He’s proven in Germany that he can be decisive in the final third. And at 22-years-old, he still has his best years ahead of him.
If Newcastle want someone like Diaby, they must push the boat out. And that’s something Jones believes they are prepared to do. That’s exciting news, as he’s an exceptional talent that could be another gamechanger in black and white.
The club appear to be focussing on deals for Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike right now. But with both seemingly close to a conclusion, Newcastle will soon be able to turn their attentions elsewhere.
That hopefully means a fresh pursuit of Diaby – even if he is going to cost an absolute fortune.
A front three of Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Diaby is a tantalising prospect that hopefully becomes a reality.
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