Pictures from France appear to confirm that Newcastle have lost out to Marseille in the race to sign William Saliba on loan from Arsenal.
The defender emerged as a target last month, as Newcastle looked to add a new centre-back to their squad.
They had been linked with Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, but the Daily Mail claimed in June that the Magpies were now looking at Saliba on loan with a move for Ajer unlikely.
More than a month on, and it looks like Newcastle are going to miss out on both players.
The Athletic have claimed that Celtic now want £20million for Ajer, which would make him one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever.
And with Norwich and Brentford both keen, this seems like a transfer pursuit that is destined to end in disappointment.
Sadly, the Saliba saga is also set to end in tears.
William Saliba seems set for Marseille loan
Newcastle seemed to be in a strong position to sign Saliba, having taken Joe Willock from Arsenal last season with great success.
However, they did face a lot of competition.
Now it looks like that deal is about to be completed.
There is a video on Twitter of the 20-year-old arriving in France ahead of his loan move. He has even been pictured holding a Marseille scarf.
While a loan deal might not have been the best bit of business by Newcastle, missing out is certainly a blow.
The Magpies are really struggling for signings this summer, and it all feels down to the club’s ongoing takeover saga.
Until the ownership issue is resolved, will we see any kind of progress in the transfer market? It feels unlikely.
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