Newcastle United now want to sign Sekou Mara from recently relegated side Bordeaux, according to The Daily Mail. The French side went down from Ligue 1, but financial irregularities mean they’ll now be playing in the third tier.
However, the Magpies are not the only club interested in the youngster. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid also like the look of Mara, per L’Equipe.
There’s no doubt the French youth international will want a move. Mara’s potential is very promising, so he’ll definitely not want to be playing in the third tier of France next season.
Mara had a strong campaign in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux, he could be Newcastle’s alternative for Hugo Ekitike
Newcastle want to sign Mara and we can see why. He netted seven times in Ligue 1 with a side that got relegated. For someone his age, that’s very impressive.
The Magpies missed out of Hugo Ekitike who went to PSG instead. Considering his age and promise, Mara’s potential is similar to that of their previous target. Clearly, the club see him as a fitting Ekitike alternative.
Furthermore, the Toon look set to miss out on Armando Broja, who looks West Ham bound. They’ve also been looking at Duvan Zapata as an Ekitike alternative. Although he’s a lot older, he would only cost Newcastle £20 million.
Zapata and Mara look the most likely to be targeted by Eddie Howe. Both will come a lot cheaper than the Magpies’ previous targets. The Bordeaux forward would likely cost around £12 million, a GFFN report states that’s the price set by the club.
Being younger and cheaper than Zapata, Newcastle should look to sign Mara. He’s got bags of potential and has plenty of time to get even better at 19-years-old.
They will face some major competition for the player. But they’ve toppled giants like AC Milan to land Sven Botman from Lille in the past.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
