Once upon a time, Steve Bruce was desperate for Mike Ashley to put his hand in his pocket and bring Moussa Dembele to Newcastle United. Three and a half years later and the Frenchman is available for absolutely nothing.
The former Newcastle target is set to leave Lyon this summer, with his contract with the Ligue 1 club due to expire at the end of June. The french club have confirmed that Dembele will not be signing a new deal and is going to leave in the coming weeks.
With the 26-year-old set to be available for absolutely nothing, there will likely be a lengthy queue of clubs who are keen to secure his signature. Everton appear to be interested in signing Dembele, as they look to add more goals to their side after narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship. There is also interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
However, there is no talk of Newcastle making a move for the former Celtic man – despite him being a major Toon target in years gone by.
Newcastle have been linked with Moussa Dembele a lot in the past
In January 2020, Newcastle United were managed by Steve Bruce and owned by Mike Ashley. The first rumours of the Saudi-backed takeover were just around the corner, which would eventually change the entire landscape at St James’ Park.
But before that, Bruce was keen for Ashley to invest some money and improve his struggling squad. That Newcastle team were struggling for goals, with Joelinton failing to hit the ground running after his £40million arrival.
It was reported that Dembele, who was previously called ‘brilliant‘ by Toon target Kieran Tierney, was on the Magpies’ radar, with Bruce really keen for the club to sign him from Lyon. He was thriving in France after his £20million move from Celtic.
Sadly for Bruce and Newcastle, a move for Dembele was not forthcoming. Recruits did arrive that month, but they were nothing to get excited about. The Magpies completed three loan deals, with Danny Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro joining the club.
Rumours surrounding Dembele to Newcastle have continued ever since – he was even linked during the formative months of Eddie Howe’s tenure on Tyneside.
But in the summer of 2023, with Dembele set to become a free agent and Newcastle preparing for Champions League football, there is no talk of him arriving at St James’ Park. It sums up how much his stock has dropped, and how much Newcastle have grown in such a short space of time.
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